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U-l 

(-3 


Old  Buildings 

of 

New  York  City 


OLD  BUILDINGS 

OF 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

WITH   SOME   NOTES    REGARDING 
THEIR   ORIGIN   AND    OCCUPANTS 


NEW     YORK 

BRENTANO'S 

M  C  M  \  I  I 


Copijright,   1907,   hif   Brodnnos 


THF.    TIIOW    PKKSS,    XKW    YORK 


U%7 


Subjects 


BOROUGH  OF  IVIANHATTAN 

NuMBEE  Seven  State  Street 

Fraunces's  Tavern 

Sub-Treasury  and  Assay  Office 

Bank  of  New  York 

St.  Paul's  Chapel    . 

City  Hall   . 

AsTOR  Library  . 

Langdon  House 

St.  Mark's  Church 

Rutherfurd  House 

Keteltas  House 

Residence  of  Eugene  Del.vno 

First  Presbyterian  Church 

FoRiiER  Residence  of  the  Late  James  Lenox 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Robert  B.  Minturn 

Grace  Church  . 

Society  Library 

Cruger  House  . 

Abingdon  Square 

Gramercy  Square 

Residence  of  John  Bigelow 
Former  Residence  of  the  late  Luther  C.  Clark 
Former  Residence  of  the  Late  James  W.  Gerard 
"  The  Players  " — Former  Home  of  Edwin  Booth 

5 


PAGE 

19 
23 
27 
29 
33 
39 
43 
45 
49 
53 
57 
59 
61 
63 
65 
67 
69 
73 
77 
81 
83 
85 
87 
91 


Si/hji'cfs 

CI^t,\M^l{^•■4    ><^\  \ni:—('<»iti until  page 

KoniuT  KrsiiU'iKv  of  llu-  Lafe  Samuel  J.  Tilden  .93 

Kormor  lU-iidiiue  of  the  Late  Rev.  Dr.  H.  W.  Bellows  .        .     97 
ForiiuT  He.sidence  of  the  Late  Dr.  Valentine  Mott  ...     99 

Reilory  i»f  Calvary  Parish 101 

Former  Residence  of  the  L<ite  Stanford  White  .        .    103 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Cyrus  W.  Field  and  the  Late 

David  Dudley  Field 105 

FOHMKH      RksIDKNCK     OF     THK     LaTE     PeTER      CoOPEH     ANH     THE 

Late  Abh.vm  S.  Hewitt 107 

General  Theological  Seminary Ill 

Foumek  Residence  of  the  Late  "Willi.^m  C.  Schermerhorn  .  115 

Chirch  of  the  Transfiguration 117 

Residence  of  J.  Pierpont  Morgan 121 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late   Theodore  A.  Havemeyer     .  123 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Senator  Edwin  D.  Morgan  125 

The  Old  Arsenai 127 

Claremont 129 

Hamilton  Gkan(;e 139 

JuMEL  House 143 

Gracie  House 151 

BOROUGH   OF   THE   BRONX 

Golverneur  Morris  House 157 

Van  Cortlandt  House 167 

BOROUGH  OF  QUEENS 
BowNE  House 171 

BOROUGH  OF  RICHMOND 

BiLLOP  House 175 

6 


Old  Buildings 

of 

New  York  City 


fi 


Introductory 

J E GENTLY  a  writer  in  a  periodical  stated  that 
"  No  one  was  ever  born  in  New  York."  It 
can  be  safely  said  that  this  is  an  exaggeration. 
Nevertheless  it  showed  the  confidence  of  the  writer  that 
the  statement  was  not  likely  to  startle  his  readers  very 
greatly. 

Probably  not  one  in  a  hundred  of  the  men  in  the 
street  know  or  care  anything  about  the  town  of  fifty 
or  sixty  years  ago.  Still  the  number  of  those  who  were 
familiar  with  it  then  is  large,  however  small  in  compari- 
son with  the  whole  number.  In  fact,  the  number  of 
those  whose  predecessors  were  living  here  when  there 
were  not  more  than  a  thousand  people  in  the  whole  place 
is  much  greater  than  is  generally  supposed. 

It  was  for  people  belonging  to  the  two  latter  classes 
that  these  pictures  were  taken.  They  may  even  interest 
some  wdio  have  known  the  town  for  only  a  generation. 

When  a  man  has  traversed  the  streets  of  a  city  for 
fifty  years,  certain  buildings  become  familiar  landmarks. 
He  first  saw  them  perhaps  on  trudging  to  school  with 
his  books,  and  has  seen  them  nearly  every  (hiy  since. 
He  experiences  a  slight  shock  whenever  such  buildings 
are  destroyed.  There  appears  something  wrong  in  the 
general  aspect  of  the  town.     Of  late  years  these  shocks 

9 


Old  Iiiiil(!iii<^s  of  \c7c  Yorlx   Citi/ 

Ikivo  followed  oiif  another  so  t'oiitimioiisly  that  he  may 
well  wonder  whether  he  is  living  in  the  same  place. 

It  occurred  to  the  writer  that  it  would  do  no  harm 
to  preserve  the  ])ietures  of  some  of  the  landmarks  still 
standin*!;-.  especially  as  they  are  <>etting  fewer  in  num- 
her  all  the  time,  and  may  shortly  disappear  altogether. 

He  regrets  that  he  is  unahle  to  show  a  photographic 
])resentment  of  many  huildings  that  have  disappeared 
in  the  last  fifty  years,  or  even  during  the  life  of  the 
present  generation.  Some  buildings  that  had  a  certain 
historical  interest  have  been  razed  in  the  last  twenty-five 
years,  as,  e.  g.,  the  Kennedy  house,*  Xo.  1  Broadway, 
taken  down  to  make  way  for  the  Washington  Building, 
overlooking  the  Battery  Park,  or  the  old  Walton  house  f 
in  Pearl  Street  near  Franklin  Square,  removed  in  1881, 
or  the  Tombs  prison,  removed  in  1899. 

*  Built  some  years  before  the  Revolution  by  Captain  Archibald 
Kennedy,  R.X.  (later  Earl  of  Casillis),  who  married  Miss  Watts. 
It  was  the  headquarters  respectively  of  Generals  Howe,  Cornwallis, 
and  Carleton. 

+  The  property  of  William  ^^'alton,  brother  of  Admiral  Walton, 
built  in  1752.  It  was  one  of  the  best,  if  not  the  best  house  in 
town.  The  gardens  extended  to  the  river.  This  house  was  men- 
tioned in  the  debates  in  Parliament  to  indicate  the  ability  of  the 
colonists  to  pay  more  taxes.  What  might  in  some  respects  be  called 
the  mate  to  this  house,  the  Walter  Franklin  house,  occupied  by 
Washington  during  his  Presidency,  stood  at  the  north  end  of  the 
square.  It  was  taken  down  in  1856,  "  and  the  only  bit  of  it  known 
to  exist  is  the  President's  chair  of  the  N.  Y.  Historical  Society, 
which  is  made  of  wood  taken  from  the  old  house  "  ("  Historic  New 
York,"  p.  298). 

10 


Introductory 

Among  buildings  that  will  be  recalled  to  memory 
by  the  older  citizens  it  would  have  been  a  satisfaction 
to  have  been  able  to  show  pictures  of  the  Brick  (Pres- 
byterian) Church,  that  stood,  with  its  yard,  on  Park 
Row,  taking  in  the  block  bounded  by  Spruce,  Nassau, 
and  Beekman  streets;  or  Burton's  Theater  in  Chambers 
Street ;  the  Irving  House,  later  Delmonico's,  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Broadway  and  the  same  street;  of  the  old  New 
York  Hospital  on  Broadway  near  Thomas  Street,  stand- 
ing far  back  with  its  beautiful  lawn  and  grand  old  trees ; 
of  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel  near  Spring  Street;  of  the 
old  Coster  mansion  (later  a  Chinese  museum),  built  of 
granite  in  the  style  of  the  Astor  House,  near  Prince 
Street;  and  Tiffany's  place  across  the  way,  with  the 
same  Atlas  upliolding  the  clock  over  the  door;  of  the 
Metropolitan  Hotel  on  the  next  block  with  Niblo's  Gar- 
den ;  of  Bleecker  Street  with  Depau  Row ;  *  of  Bond 
Street  with  the  large  Ward  (later  Sampson)  residence 
on  the  corner;  the  Russell  residence  on  the  corner  of 
Great  Jones  Street;  the  famous  old  New  York  Hotel; 
the  Lorillard  mansion  at  Tenth  Street;  the  large 
brownstone  residence  of  Judge  James  Roosevelt,  near 
Thirteenth  Street,  famous  for  the  hospitality  of  its 
owners,  and  the  red  brick  residence  of  Cornelius  V.  S, 
Roosevelt,    grandfather  of  the  President,  on  the  cor- 

*  Depau  Row  was  an  attempt  to  introduce  the  Parisian  dwelling 
or  hotel.  The  houses  were  entered  by  driveways,  running  through 
them  to  large  interior  courtyards.  They  were  taken  down  to  make 
-wixy  for  tlie  Mills   Hotel  for  iiuri. 

11 


old   Iiiiil(liii<:s  of  Xi':i'   Vorh-  Ciii/ 

iH-v  ol'   riiioii   Sciuart'.  lia\iiin'  tlic  tiilrance  on    Hi'oad- 
w  ay. 

'VUc  older  irsidt'iit  can  recall  Union  Scjiiare  when  the 
huildiniis  were  nearly  all  ])rivate  residences,  conspicuous 
aniony-  which  were  the  Parish  house  on  the  north  side 
and  till'  Penninian  (later  the  Maison  Doree)  on  the 
south,  lie  can  recall  the  stately  appearance  of  Four- 
teenth Street  westward  of  Union  Stjuare:  the  Haight 
residence  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fifteenth 
Street,  with  its  large  winter  garden;*  the  brownstone 
house  of  Colonel  Herman  Thorn  in  Sixteenth  Street^ 
west  of  the  avenue,  standing  in  its  wide  grounds  (now 
nearly  filled  hy  the  New  \'ork  Hospital)  ;  the  residence 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  August  Ikdniont  (so  long  leaders  in 
.society),  on  the  avenue,  at  the  corner  of  Eighteenth 
Street,  extending  with  its  picture  gallery  a  long  distance 
on  the  street;  the  Stuart  residence,  which  shared  the 
l)lock  above  Twentieth  Street  with  a  church;  and  then 
the  Union  Club  house  at  Twenty-first  Street.  Perhaps 
of  all  the  landmarks  taken  down  during  the  time  of  the 
])resent  generation,  none  was  so  well  known  as  the  Goe- 
let  house  at  Broadway  and  Nineteenth  Street,  with  the 
grounds  extending  eastward  toward  Fourth  Avenue. 
Thousands  of  people  passed  every  day  in  the  short 
stretch  between  the  two  squares.  jNIr.  Peter  Goelet's 
penchant  for  rare  and  beautiful  birds  was  a  never- 
ending  delight  to  every  passing  child  and  adult,  and 

*  It   is    a    little    remarkable   that  none   of  our    multimillionaires 
have  added  this   feature  to  their  new  houses  u))to\vn. 

12 


Introductory 

a  number  were  always  standing  gazing  past  the  iron 
railing.  Peacocks  white  and  blue,  Chinese  golden 
pheasants,  and  many  other  varieties  found  a  comfort- 
able home  in  the  grounds. 

The  appearance  of  the  entire  city  now  gives  the 
impression  of  life  and  bustle.  With  the  exception  of 
Gramercy  Square  and  Irving  Place,  there  is  hardly  a 
spot  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  that  now  has  any 
appearance  of  repose.  Thirty  years  ago  the  city  pre- 
sented a  wholly  different  aspect.  Fifth  Avenue,  from 
Washington  to  JNIadison  Square,  was,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  writer,  one  of  the  finest  residence  streets  anywhere. 
At  most  hours  of  the  day  the  people  on  the  sidewalks 
were  comparatively  few  and  there  was  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  business  wagons  and  trucks  that  used  the 
roadway  as  compared  with  the  numbers  that  do  so  to- 
day. University  Place  was  a  street  of  nearly  the  same 
character,  as  was  also  Second  Avenue  from  Seventh 
Street  to  Stuyvesant  Square.  This  street  had  a  charm 
of  its  own.  Lined  as  it  was  on  either  side  with  spacious 
residences,  it  gave  the  impression  of  a  street  of  homes. 
The  facades  of  the  largest  houses  were  simple  and  un- 
pretentious, forming  a  marked  contrast  to  some  of  the 
houses  uptown  to-day. 

As  regards  the  matter  of  repose,  it  may  be  said  that 
twenty-five  years  ago  the  palm  would  clearly  have  been 
given  to  Lafayette  Place.  This  short  street  also  had  a 
character  of  its  own.  From  the  Langdon  house  on  the 
east  side  near  Astor  Place  to  old   St.   Bartholomew's 

13 


Old  liniJdiiiiis  of  \r:c   York  Cifi/ 

C'liuicli  ;it  (iiint  Jones  Street,  niul  from  tlie  Lano^don 
(Wilks)  liDiisf  on  the  west  side  to  the  Sehermerhorn 
lioiise  opposite  the  eliureli,  ahiiost  every  buildin(>"  liad 
its  iiidivi(hiahty.  Tlie  street  was  marred  by  three  or 
four  aneient  hiiil(hii*i\s,  wliieli  for  some  reason  were  not 
removed,  siieh  as  the  stable  between  the  Langdon  house 
and  the  Astor  Library,  once  the  favorite  Riding  Acad- 
emy. The  r.ibrary  still  (1906)  stands,  as  does  a  part 
of  the  old  C'olonnatie,  but  an  earthquake  could  hardly 
liave  wrought  greater  changes  than  has  the  march  of 
trade. 

The  large  mansion  of  the  first  John  Jacob  Astor 
stood  separated  from  the  Library  by  a  gateway  and 
broad  alley  reaching  to  the  stables  in  the  rear.  Adjoin- 
ing was  a  group  of  houses  of  the  style  of  those  in 
Washington  Square,  broad  and  "  high-stooped."  Op- 
posite, on  the  corner  of  Fourth  Street,  stood  a  church 
whose  portico  of  granite  Ionic  columns  (each  a  monolith 
brought  with  great  trouble  from  Elaine)  was  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  town.  Almost  adjoining  was  the  Swan 
residence,  since  converted  into  the  Church  House  of  the 
diocese,  and  then  the  Colonnade  with  its  long  row  of 
granite  Corinthian  columns,  considered  a  marvel  in  its 
day.  Xext  to  these  was  the  "  English  basement  "  house 
of  the  late  Charles  Astor  Bristed,  with  arch  and  drive- 
way leading  to  the  rear,  and  on  the  corner  the  Langdon 
(Wilks)  house,  when  it  was  built,  the  finest  in  town. 
Being  a  short  street,  blocked  at  one  end  and  leading 
only  to  Astor  Place  at  the  other,  the  drivers  of  very 

14 


Introductory 

few  vehicles  ever  took  the  trouble  to  turn  into  it,  ex- 
cept the  driver  of  a  private  carriage,  perhaps  a  closed 
coach  drawn  by  heavy  horses  ( for  the  cobble  stones  were 
rough)  ;  the  coachman  on  a  vast  haniniercloth  embel- 
lished with  fringes  and  tassels,  as  was  frequently  seen 
forty  years  ago,  the  footman  sometimes  standing  behind, 
his  hands  grasping  two  leather  loops  to  hold  himself  in 
place.  So  quiet  was  the  street  that  on  a  pleasant  after- 
noon the  youngsters  who  dwelt  in  the  neighborhood  car- 
ried on  their  game  of  ball  undisturbed.  Perhaps  it  was 
this  feature  of  quiet  repose  which  suggested  the  suita- 
bility of  establishing  there  the  Library,  the  churches,  the 
Columbia  College  Law  School,  and  the  Church  House. 

The  writer  might  go  on  and  refer  extensively  to 
other  ancient  streets  and  the  changed  aspect  of  other 
places  throughout  the  city,  but  that  is  not  his  present 
purpose. 

There  are  a  few  old  landmarks  that  are  likely  to 
stand,  for  example  the  City  Hall,  in  the  opinion  of 
some  the  most  successful  building,  as  to  architectural 
design,  in  the  country. 

Abandoned  to  materialism  as  the  city  is  and  lacking 
sentiment,  nevertheless  any  proposal  to  take  down  the 
City  Hall,  or  even  to  alter  it  ever  so  slightly,  meets 
with  vigorous  protests.* 

*  It  seems  ratlier  strange  that  some  architect  has  not  taken  this 
fa9ade  or  some  portion  of  it  (as,  e.  g.,  the  east  or  west  end)  as  a 
design  for  the  front  of  one  of  the  palaces  tliat  are  now  springing 
u))  throughout  the  land. 

15 


Old   liiiildifiiis  of  \nc    Vorh'   C/f// 

Possibly  |)(.()|)k'  iniiiiit  ohjtc-l  if  it  were  proposed  to 
diNti()\  St.  Pniirs  Clia})el,  the  oldest  eluirch  edifice  in 
the  I'ity.  and  so  with  a  few  other  huildini^s:  liiit  the 
majority  of  the  landmarks  must  *»()  and  hideous  sky- 
scrapers arise.  "  monuments  to  g-reed  "  as  they  have  been 
tirnud.  iiair  ruining-  adjacent  properties. 

it  was  with  a  view  of  preservin«»'  the  appearance  of 
some  of  these  landmarks  that  may  be  torn  down  any 
<Iay  that  these  pictures  were  taken.  Kndeavor  has  been 
made  to  ])resent  those  that  have  been  in  existence  about 
fifty  years.  A\^ith  two  exceptions  the  buildings  repre- 
sented are  now   (190G)  standing. 

Mistakes  and  errors  no  doubt  appear  in  the  text,  and 
these  the  writer  would  be  glad  to  correct.  The  notes 
in  no  sense  profess  to  be  thorough.  They  are,  for  the 
most  part,  mere  skeletons  of  what  may  be  said  upon  the 
subjects  dealt  with. 


16 


Number  Seven  State  Street 

"S^fe-^HIS  house  was  built  by  Closes  Rogers,  a  promi- 
■  ^  J  nent  merchant  of  the  latter  part  of  the  eight- 
^^^  eenth  and  the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. He  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  his  mother  being 
a  daughter  of  Governor  Fitch  of  that  State.  He  was 
in  business  as  early  as  1785  at  26  Queen  (Pearl)  Street. 
In  1793  the  firm  name  was  Rogers  &  Woolsey,  his  part- 
ner being  William  Walter  Woolsey,  his  brother-in-law, 
JNIr.  Rogers  having  married  Sarah  Woolsey,  a  sister  of 
the  wife  of  President  Dwight  of  Yale  College.  In  that 
year  he  was  living  at  272  Pearl  Street,  near  Beekman, 
"  in  a  large  house  with  hanging  garden  extending  over 
the  yard  and  stable."  * 

jNIr.  Rogers  was  a  merchant  of  high  character  and 
public  spirit.  In  1793  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Society  for  the  JNIanumission  of  Slaves.  He  was  a  gov- 
ernor of  the  Xew  York  Hospital  from  1792  to  1799, 
and  in  1797  treasurer  of  the  City  Dispensary.  From 
1787  until  1811  he  was  a  vestryman  of  Trinity  Church, 
and  in  1793  was  a  member  of  the  Society  for  the  Relief 
of  Distressed  Prisoners.f 

*"01d   Merchants   of  New  York  City,"  vol.   II,  p.   318. 
f  Before  and  after  the  Revolution,  the  Hall  of  Records  lately 
removed  vpas  used  as  the  debtors'  prison.     There  were  usually  about 

19 


Old  liiiildin^iis  of  Xctc  York  CiUj 

111  Ilk'  yi;ii-  1S()()  he  was  living  in  the  honse  here 
piisintc'd.  1 1  is  sister  had  inai-ried  the  eelehrated  mer- 
t'haut  and  sliip  owikt,  Aivhihald  (iracie.  His  children 
More:  ^1)  Sarah  K.  Rogers,  who  married  the  Hon. 
Samuel  M.  Hopkins;  (2)  Benjamin  \\'oolsey  Rogers, 
who  married  Susan,  daughter  of  William  Bayard;  (3) 
^Vrehihald  Rogers,  who  married  Anna,  daughter  of 
Judge  Nathaniel  Pendleton;  and  (4)  Juha  A.  Rogers, 
Mho  mai-ried  Franeis  Bayard  Winthrop.*  In  the  y^ear 
1S*J(>  Iknjamin  ^Voolsey  Rogers  w'as  Uving  in  the  next 
house,  Number  Five  State  Street,  but  after  his  father's 
death  he  moved  to  Number  Seven  and  Hved  there  until 
1830.t  William  P.  Van  Rensselaer,  grandson  of  Gen- 
eral Stephen  Xan  Rensselaer,  married  successively  two 
of  the  daughters  of  JNIr.  Rogers.  The  house  during  the 
ownership  of  the  Rogers  family  was  the  scene  of  many 
notable  entertainments.  These  entertainments  wxre  fre- 
quently referred  to  by  older  members  of  society  who 
have  now  passed  away.  In  1830  the  house  was  occu- 
pied by  Gardiner  G.  Howland. 

The  queerly  shaped  front  was  to  a  certain  extent  a 
necessity.  State  Street  takes  a  sharp  turn  and  the  house 
was  built  at  the  apex  of  an  angle.  The  interior  was 
doubtless  an  improvement  on  other  houses.     The  ceil- 

one  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners.  It  is  said  that  they  were  allowed 
only  bread  and  water  by  the  State  and  depended  largely  on  the 
kindness  of  benevolent  people  to  relieve  their  wants. 

*  "  Lamb's  History  of  the  City  of  New  York,"  II,  p.  735. 

t  "  The  Old  Merchants  of  New  York,"  vol.  II,  p.  319. 

20 


Number  Seven  State  Street 

ings  were  high,  and  the  staircase,  instead  of  being  in 
the  hall  as  in  older  houses,  is  at  the  side.  It  is  winding, 
of  an  oval  design,  with  mahogany  balustrade.  The  sky- 
light was  of  stained  glass,  made  in  England,  showing 
the  coat  of  arms. 

During  the  Civil  War,  the  house  was  taken  by  the 
Government  for  military  uses,  and  afterwards  became 
the  office  of  the  Pilot  Commissioners. 

It  is  now  the  house  of  the  mission  of  Our  Lady  of 
the  Rosary. 


21 


II 

I  I 

-.»R?5V- 


Fraunces's  Tavern 

X:^  the  year  1671  Col.  Stephen  Van  Cortlandt 
built  a  cottage  on  the  corner  of  Broad  and 
Pearl  (then  Queen)  streets,  to  which  he  brought 
his  bride,  Gertrude  Schuyler.  The  house  overlooked  the 
waters  of  the  river  and  bay.  In  the  year  1700  he  deeded 
this  property  to  his  son-in-law,  Etienne  de  Lancey,  prob- 
ably wishing  to  retire  to  his  manor  on  the  Hudson.  De 
Lancey  was  a  French  Huguenot  of  rank  who  had  left 
his  native  country  on  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of 
Nantes.  He  came  to  New  York  where  he  established 
himself  as  a  merchant.  On  these  premises  he  built  a 
hip-roofed  mansion  several  stories  in  height,  of  small 
yellow  bricks  imported  from  Holland.  In  dimensions 
and  arrangement  it  ranked  among  the  best  in  the  col- 
ony. The  property  descended  through  his  son  James 
to  his  grandson  Oliver.  This  part  of  the  town  having 
by  that  time  become  the  business  quarter  in  1757,  the 
house  was  abandoned  as  a  residence  and  became  the 
warehouse  of  De  Lancey,  Robinson  &  Co.  On  Janu- 
ary 17,  1762,  the  building  was  transferred  to  Samuel 
Fraunces,  who  converted  it  into  a  tavern  under  the  name 
of  the  "  Queen's  Head,"  and  announced  that  dinner 
would  be  served  daily  at  half -past  one.     In  April,  1768, 

23 


Old  liiiildiniis  of  Xt'w   York  ("it// 

in  tlu'  loiii^-  room,  tlu-  C'liaiiihii-  of  Commerce  was  in- 
auiiiirntid  with  .loliii  CVrii*>er  as  president. 

On  November  2.),  17H8,  tlie  day  of  the  evacnation 
of  the  Hritisli,  a  grand  ban(|uet  was  given  by  Cxovernor 
Clinton  to  General  Washington  and  the  French  minis- 
ter. Ln/.erne.  and  in  tlie  evening  tiie  "Queen's  Head" 
and  tlie  wliole  town  were  ilhiminated.  ]More  than  a 
liundred  generals,  ofticers,  and  distinguished  personages 
attended  the  banquet  and  thirteen  toasts  were  drunk 
commemorative  of  tlie  occasion.  Ten  days  later  Wash- 
inaion  here  met  his  o'enerals  for  the  last  time.  After 
a  .slight  repast  Washington  filled  his  glass  and  addressed 
his  officers  as  follows:  "With  a  heart  full  of  love  and 
gratitude,  I  must  now  take  my  leaA'c  of  you.  I  most 
devoutly  wish  that  your  latter  days  may  be  as  prosper- 
ous and  happy  as  your  former  ones  ha\'e  been  glorious 
and  honorable."  *  In  silence  his  former  companions 
then  took  a  final  farewell  of  their  chief. 

This  is  one  of  the  oldest  buildings  in  the  city,  as  the 
great  fire  of  1776  doubtless  swept  away  most  of  those 
of  earlier  date.  During  the  last  century  the  building 
has  gone  through  various  vicissitudes,  mostly  on  the  de- 
scending scale.  A  year  or  two  ago  the  ground  floor  was 
occupied  by  a  saloon.  Lately  the  building  has  been 
completely  restored  by  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and 
now  jiresents  very  nearly  its  original  appearance. 

*  New  York  Herald,  May  6,   1906. 


24 


Sub-Treasury  and  Assay  Office 

"V^  -'HE  Sub-Treasury  is  built  on  the  site  of  the  orig- 
f  ^  inal  City  Hall.  In  1789  this  was  altered  and 
^^^  repaired  for  tlie  use  of  the  first  Congress  and 
named  the  Federal  Hall.  The  balcony  of  the  Hall  was 
the  scene  of  Washington's  inauguration  as  President, 
in  commemoration  of  which  the  statue  was  erected. 

In  1834  the  building  was  demolished  and  the  pres- 
ent structure  erected  for  the  Custom  House  and  was 
used  as  such  until  1862. 

The  Assay  Office  is  the  oldest  building  in  Wall 
Street,  having  been  built  in  1823,  for  the  Xew  York 
branch  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States.  It  became 
the  Assay  Office  in  1853. 


27 


Bank  of  New  York 

^^^;:^IIE  oldest  bank  in  the  country  is  the  Bank  of 
€  J  Xorth  America  in  Philadelphia,  incorporated 
^^^  by  act  of  Congress,  December,  1781,  and  by 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania  a  few  months  afterwards. 
Very  great  losses  had  occurred  from  the  repudiation 
of  the  Continental  bills  of  credit.  All  the  States  had 
issued  bills  of  their  own  and  kept  on  "  making  experi- 
ments in  finance  which  did  not  depend  on  specie  as  a 
basis."  Currency  was  expressed  in  pounds,  shillings, 
and  pence  and  the  currency  in  circulation  was  a  motley 
conglomeration  of  guineas,  doubloons,  pistoles,  Johan- 
nes pieces,  moidores,  and  sequins.  Thus  arose  the  ne- 
cessity of  a  bank  that  should  both  assist  the  Government 
and  benefit  the  people  at  large. 

On  February  26,  1784,  a  meeting  of  the  principal 
merchants  and  citizens  was  held  at  the  INIerchants'  Coffee 
House.  General  Alexander  JNIcDougal  was  chosen 
chairman,  and  it  was  unanimously  decided  to  establish 
a  bank.  Subscription  books  were  opened  at  the  offices 
of  John  Alsop,  Broadway,  Robert  Bowne,  Queen  Street, 
and  Nicholas  Low,  Water  Street,  and  the  shares  were 
rapidly  taken. 

On  March  15,  1784,  the  following  officers  were 
chosen:  General  Alexander  McDougal,  president;  Sam- 
uel Franklin,  Robert  Bowne,  Comfort  Sands,  Alexan- 


Old  liiiildiniis  of  \nc   York  Citfi 

(III-  I  laiiiiltoiK  .losliiKi  Waddiiiotoii,  Thomas  Kandall, 
William  Maxwell.  Xidiolas  Low,  Daniel  JNIcCormick, 
Isaac  l{oosc'\c'lt,  John  \'an(k'i-hilt,  and  Thomas  B. 
Stonnhton,  dircrtors;  and   William   Scton.  cashier. 

'I'hc  hank  commenced  husiness  at  what  was  formerly 
the  old  AValton  house  in  St.  George's  (now  Franklin) 
S(niai-e.  It  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Queen  (now  Pearl) 
Street,  almost  opposite  the  present  esta])lishment  of 
IIar])er  Brothers,  the  ])u})lishers.  The  huilding  (erected 
IT.J-)  will  he  rememhered  l)y  many  people  to-day  as  it 
was  only  taken  down  in  1881,  hut  its  appearance  during 
its  declining  years  gave  a  faint  idea  of  its  original 
dignity.  In  1787  the  husiness  of  the  hank  was  moved 
to  Hanover  Square,  Isaac  Roosevelt  having  been  chosen 
president  in  1786. 

In  1796  a  lot  was  bought  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and 
AVilliam  streets  from  William  Constable  for  eleven  thou- 
sand pounds  (New  York  currency).  Strange  to  say, 
there  is  no  record  of  the  dimensions  of  the  lot,  but  the 
present  building  doubtless  stands  on  part  of  it. 

Early  in  1797  steps  were  taken  to  remove  the  house 
then  standing  and  to  put  up  a  new  building,  and  the 
corner  stone  was  laid  by  Gulian  Verplanck,  then  presi- 
dent, on  June  27th.  Mr.  Verplanck  died  in  1799  and 
Nicholas  Gouverneur  was  chosen  president.  The  cor- 
ner stone  of  the  present  building  was  laid  on  September 
10,  1856,  and  the  building  completed  in  1858.* 

*  "  Domett's  History  of  the  Bank  of  New  York." 

30 


St.  Paul's  Chapel 

'^^^*-^HIS  chapel  built  in  1764-66  is  the  oldest  church 
M  J  edifice  in  the  city.  The  first  rector  was  the 
^^^  Rev.  Dr.  Barclay,  who  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Auchmuty.  The  steeple  is  in  the  style 
of  one  of  Wren's  designs.  After  the  burning  of  Trin- 
ity in  1776,  it  was  used  as  the  parish  church.  The  pews 
that  during  the  war  held  Howe,  Andre,  the  officers  of 
the  army  of  occu2)ation,  and  the  young  midshipman  who 
later  became  King  William  IV  were,  when  peace  was 
concluded,  occupied  by  the  former  "  rebels  "  Washing- 
ton, Clinton,  and  their  followers.  After  his  inaugin'a- 
tion,  in  the  Federal  Hall  in  Wall  Street,  Washington 
and  the  members  of  both  houses  came  in  solemn  proces- 
sion to  St.  Paul's,  where  services  were  conducted  by 
Bishop  Provost,  Chaplain  of  the  Senate,  and  a  Tc  Deum 
was  sung. 

The  square  pew  on  the  left  with  the  national  arms 
on  the  wall  was  the  one  used  by  Washington  as  long 
as  New  York  remained  the  capital.  The  corresponding 
pew  on  the  right,  designated  })y  the  arms  of  tlie  State, 
was  that  of  Governor  Clinton.  On  the  chancel  wall  are 
marble  tablets  to  Sir  John  Temple,  the  first  British 
consul  general,  and  to  Colonel  Thomas  Barclay,  the 
eminent  loyalist,  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Barclay,  rector 

33 


Old  liuil(liii<:s  of  Xc-ic   York'  ('it if 

of  Ti-iiiity  Parisli.  C'oIoirI  Harclay  succeeded  Teiuple 
as  consul  ocneral  of  "  His  Hrittanick  Majesty."  Tliere 
is  also  a  tablet  in  memory  of  the  wii'e  of  \Villiam  Frank- 
lin, Tory  (lovernor  of  New  Jersey,  and  several  others. 
'I'he  only  other  I'eniinder  of  ))i-e-l{evoluti()nai-v  days  is 
the  oilded  crest  of  the  Prince  of  AVales  over  the  pulpit 
canopy.  As  everyone  knows,  at  the  east  end  of  the 
yard  facing-  Broadway  are  monuments  to  three  eminent 
Irishmen  who  rose  to  distinction  in  this  country — Em- 
met, Montg-omery,  and  ]MacXeven,  one  at  the  bar,  an- 
other in  the  army,  and  the  third  in  medicine.  Emmet 
was  tlie  brother  of  the  Irish  martyr,  Robert  Emmet;* 
Montgomery  settled  in  New  York  before  the  Revolu- 
tion, married  a  daughter  of  Chancellor  Livingston  and 
fell  at  Quebec;  t  ]MacNeveii,  like  Emmet,  had  taken 

*  Robert  Emmet,  member  of  an  old  English  family  that  settled 
in  Ireland  during  Cromwell's  time,  was  one  of  the  purest  and  most 
disinterested  of  rebels.  He  is  now  believed  by  his  family,  and  with 
very  good  reason,  to  have  been  instigated  to  rebellion  by  a  secret 
emissary  of  Pitt  in  Paris,  where  he  had  resided  since  leaving  col- 
lege, as  part  of  an  evil  scheme  to  withdraw  attention  from  the 
disordered  condition  of  English  politics  at  the  time.  {Vide  "  Ire- 
land under  English  Rule,  or  A  Plea  for  the  Plaintiff,"  by  Thomas 
Addis  Emmet,  1903.) 

f  Richard  Montgomery,  son  of  Thomas  Montgomerj^  of  Convoy 
House,  Donegal,  had  been  a  captain  in  the  British  army  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War.  "  On  his  return  to  England  he  is  said 
to  have  formed  friendships  with  Fox.  Burke,  and  Barre,  and  became 
strongly  imbued  with  their  ideas  about  the  rights  of  the  colonies, 
and  when  he  was  superseded  and  disappointed  in  the  purchase  of 
a   majority,    he    left   England    forever."      When   in   America    it  had 

34 


St.  Paul's  Chapel 

part  in  the  Irish  rebelhon  of  '98,  acting  with  him  as 
one  of  the  Directory  of  Three.     Both  were  imprisoned 

happened  that  on  their  way  to  a  distant  post,  he  had  come  on  shore 
with  all  the  officers  of  his  company  at  Clermont,  the  Livingston 
place  on  the  North  River,  and  there  met  Janet  Livingston  for  the 
first  time,  and  on  his  return,  with  the  full  approbation  of  her  parents, 
he  married  her  in  July,  1773.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he  bought  a 
farm  at  Kingsbridge,  near  New  York,  but  after  his  marriage  he 
arranged  to  build  a  house  at  Barrytown-on-the-Hudson  on  the  Liv- 
ingston property. 

The  house,  known  as  "  Montgomery  Place,"  was  built  from  de- 
signs of  his  nephew,  an  architect,  son  of  his  sister,  the  Viscountess 
Ranelagh.  Some  relics  of  the  general,  including  his  sword,  etc., 
are  still  preserved  there.  When  war  broke  out,  Congress  appointed 
him  a  brigadier  general,  and  such  was  the  confidence  in  him  that 
he  was  given  carte  hlanche  as  to  all  the  officers  under  him.  He 
fell  at  the  head  of  his  troops  in  the  assault  on  Quebec,  December 
31,  1775,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  The  estimation  in  which  he 
was  held  by  his  wife's  family  continued  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  July,  1818,  when  the  State  of  New  York  had  his  remains  brought 
from  Quebec,  they  were  interred  under  the  monument  now  seen  at 
the  east  end  of  St.  Paul's  Chapel.  Forty-three  years  had  elapsed 
since  Mrs.  Montgomery  had  parted  with  her  husband  at  Saratoga. 
She  was  notified  by  Governor  Clinton  of  the  day  on  which  the 
steamer  Richviond,  carrying  the  remains,  would  pass  down  the  river. 
She  was  left  alone  upon  the  piazza  of  the  house.  The  emotions  with 
which  she  saw  the  pageant  were  told  in  a  letter  written  to  her 
niece : 

"  At  length  they  came  by  with  all  that  remained  of  a  beloved 
husband  who  left  me  in  the  bloom  of  manhood,  a  perfect  being. 
Alas !  how  did  he  return  ?  However  gratifying  to  my  lieart,  yet 
to  my  feelings  every  pang  I  felt  was  renewed.  The  pomp  with 
which    it    was    conducted   added   to    my    woe;    when    the    steamboat 

35 


Old  liiiildifiiis  of  Xnv  York  Citif 


at  Fort  (k'or^c  in  Scotland.  He  later  served  in  Napo- 
leon's army  as  surgeon. 

(ieoro'c  ^V.  P.  Custis,  who  was  one  of  Washington's 
I'aniily.  spoke  of  St.  Paul's  as  being"  "  quite  out  of 
town.  '  No  doubt  the  great  fire  of  177(>,  which  stopped 
when  it  got  to  the  Chapel  yard,  left  the  Chapel  stand- 
ing isolated  from  buildings  below  it;  but  Custis,  to  get 
there  from  St.  (xcorge's  (Franklin)  Square,  must  have 
had  to  go  some  distance  "  down  town."  It  tends  to  show 
that  the  water  front  of  the  city  was  covered  with  build- 
ings before  the  central  ])art.  The  fact  that  the  com- 
missioners for  making  a  \Asa\  of  the  future  city  early  in 
the  last  century  arranged  for  so  many  streets  running 
to  the  water  and  for  so  few  running  north  and  south 
would  also  seem  to  indicate  that  they  thought  easy  access 
to  the  rivers  was  of  prime  importance. 

]Mr.  Astor,  with  his  wonderful  foresight,  was  the 
first  man  to  realize  that  the  "  backbone  "  of  the  island 
was,  in  after  years,  to  show  the  greatest  advance  in  the 
value  of  real  estate. 

passed  with  slow  and  solemn  movement,  stopping  before  my  house, 
the  troops  under  arms,  the  Dead  March  from  the  muffled  drums, 
the  mournful  music,  the  splendid  coffin  canopied  with  crepe  and 
crowned  with  plumes,  you  may  conceive  my  anguish !  "  After  the 
vessel  had  gone  by  it  was  found  she  had  fainted. 


36 


The  City  Hall 

'S^^^HE  plans  of  the  architect  who  designed  the 
■  ^  j  City  Hall,  John  ]McComb,  were  accepted  in 
^^^  the  year  1803,  but  the  building  was  not  com- 
pleted until  nine  years  later. 

It  is  not  always  'an  agreeable  business  to  devote  one's 
time  to  destroying  a  myth  A\hich  has  become  lodged  in 
the  affections  of  the  people,  but  sometimes  it  rests  on 
so  slight  a  foundation  that  there  is  nothing  gained  in 
keeping  it  alive.  We  have  lately  seen  how  the  tradi- 
tion that  Washington  Irving  used  to  live  in  the  house 
on  the  corner  of  Irving  Place  and  Seventeenth  Street 
had  no  foundation  in  fact,  except  that  he  had  a  nephew 
who  lived  next  door.  And  so  the  story  so  often  repeated 
in  newspapers  and  guide  books  that  the  City  Hall  was 
finished  in  brownstone  at  the  back  because  the  city  fa- 
thers thought  that  nobody  of  any  importance  would  ever 
live  to  the  north  of  it  might,  it  seems,  be  set  at  rest, 
although  the  attempt  is  not  made  for  the  first  time. 
The  story  reflects  on  the  intelligence  of  the  people  of 
the  day.  The  reason  was  economy,  but  not  joined  to 
deficiency  of  foresight. 

The  Common  Council  of  that  day,  instead  of  being 
obtuse  on  the  subject  were  (luite  the  other  way,  and 
show  by  their  records  that  tliey  took  a  highly  optimistic 

39 


Old  liiiildiiiiis  of  A'rti"   Vork  Cit/i 

view  of  wliat  llity  call  the  city's  "  unrivaled  "  situation 
and  opulence.  They  state  their  hehef  that  in  a  very  few 
years  the  hall  that  they  were  ahout  to  huild  would  be 
the  cciittr  ol'  the  wealth  and  ])0))ulation  of  the  city.  It 
was  at  first  arran^-ed  to  huild  entirely  of  hrownstone, 
and  tlie  contractors  t>'ot  their  work  done  ixs  far  as  the 
basement,  as  can  readily  he  seen  to-day.  Then  the  views 
of  the  Common  Council  underwent  a  change.  A  lialt 
wa*»  made  and  McComb  was  requested  to  make  an  esti- 
mate of  the  cost  in  marble. 

From  an  interesting  article  appearing  in  the  Century 
Magazine  for  April,  1884.  written  by  ]\Ir.  Edward  S. 
Wilde,  it  seems  that  the  committee's  report  states:  "  It 
appears  from  this  (the  architect's)  estimate  that  the 
difference  of  expense  between  marble  and  brownstone 
will  not  exceed  the  sum  of  $43,750,  including  every 
contingent  charge.  When  it  is  considered  that  the  City 
of  New  York  from  its  inviting  situation  and  increasing 
opulence,  stands  unrivaled  .  .  .  we  certainly  ought,  in 
this  pleasing  state  of  things,  to  possess  at  least  one  pub- 
lic edifice  which  shall  vie  with  the  many  now  erected  in 
Philadelphia  and  elsewhere  ...  in  the  course  of  a  very 
few  years  it  is  destined  to  be  the  center  of  the  wealth 
and  population  of  the  city.  Under  these  impressions 
the  Building  Committee  strongly  recommend  that  the 
front  and  two  end  views  of  the  new  hall  be  built  of 
marble." 

The  corporation  then  authorized  the  use  of  marble 
on  three  fronts.     The  brownstone  of  the  rear  received 

40 


The  Citif  Hall 

its  first  coat  of  white  paint  only  a  few  years  ago,  as 
nearly  anyone  who  reads  this  can  testify.  In  1858  the 
cupola  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  was  restored  in  a  poor 
manner,  but  ]Mr.  Wilde  says:  "Notwithstanding  this 
change  and  the  damage  done  less  by  time  than  by  stu- 
pidity, the  hall  stands  to-day  unsurpassed  by  any  struc- 
ture of  the  kind  in  the  country." 


41 


,  ^«  '»-'»-«  *- 1 


Astor  Library 

"^^^-^HE  Astor  Library  was  founded  in  accordance 
€  J  with  the  terms  of  a  codicil  to  the  will  of  the 
^^^  first  John  Jacob  Astor.  It  was  opened  in 
1854.  His  son  William  B.  Astor  added  a  wing  to  the 
original  building  (the  present  central  portion)  and  pre- 
sented five  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the 
library  fund. 

In  1881  another  wing  was  added  by  his  grandson, 
John  Jacob  Astor. 


43 


The  Langdon  House 

'^^^:;^HIS  house  was  usually  called  the  Langdon 
■  ^  J  house,  although  it  was  never  occupied  by  the 
^^^  family  of  that  name.  ]Mr.  Walter  Langdon's 
house,  directly  oi^nosite,  was  built  much  later.  About 
1845  the  first  John  Jacob  Astor  wished  to  j) resent  his 
daughter,  INIrs.  Walter  Langdon,  with  a  city  residence 
and  built  this  house  for  her  during  her  absence  abroad. 
He  built  merely  the  shell  of  the  house,  and  on  his  daugh- 
ter's return  gave  her  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dollars 
for  the  2^urpose  of  decorating  it.  Carte  blanche  was 
given  to  a  famous  decorator  of  that  day,  and  he  pro- 
ceeded to  finish  it  in  a  style  hitherto  unknown  in  the  city. 
The  result  was  that  in  the  end  the  cost  of  the  interior 
had  risen  to  sixty  thousand  dollars,  considered  a  very 
large  sum  at  that  time.  A  great  deal  of  attention  was 
paid  to  plaster  and  stucco  ornamentation  and  woodwork. 
The  most  attractive  feature  of  the  liouse  was  the  main 
staircase,  which  was  made  in  England  especially  for  the 
house.  This  staircase  was  rectangular  and  of  a  dai'k 
rich  colored  wood,  was  beautifully  carved  and  of  a  very 
graceful  design.  It  was  lighted  by  a  large  stained- 
glass  window  overlooking  Astor  Place.  The  reception 
rooms  were  on  the  left  of  the  main  hall  witli  a  conserva- 
tory in  the  rear.     At  the  I'ight  were  tlie  library,  stair- 

45 


Old  Ji  nil  (lilies  of  Xc'cc   York  Cit// 

case,  diniii*''  room,  and  offices.  JNIrs.  Lan^don,  however, 
returned  to  Kurope  and  continued  to  reside  there  until 
lier  death.  Meanwliile  it  was  arran<>['ed  that  tlie  house 
slioultl  he  occupied  hy  her  (huighter.  wlio  had  married 
an  Kn<»lisli  ^^'cntleman,  INlr.  ^Matthew  Wilks.  ^Ir.  and 
^Irs.  AVilks  continued  to  live  there  until  the  house  was 
taken  down  in  1875. 

The  i)roperty  had  a  frontage  of  ahout  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  on  both  Astor  Place  and  Lafayette  Place 
(now  Lafayette  Street),  from  which  it  was  shut  off 
by  a  high  wall.  The  enclosed  courtyard  was  laid  out 
as  a  garden,  M'ith  large  trees,  and  the  rear  was  occupied 
by  the  stables.  The  garden  contained  a  ring  large 
enough  for  riding  purposes. 

Of  course  during  the  Forrest-]Macready  riot  in  1849 
the  house  was  almost  in  what  might  be  called  the  storm 
center.  In  the  midst  of  it  one  of  the  servants,  who 
thought  he  had  secured  a  perfectly  safe  point  of  observa- 
tion on  the  roof,  was  killed. 


46 


St.  Mark's  in  the  Bowery 

'^TT^HEN  Stiiyvesant  retired  from  office,  after  the 
I  I  ^  British  occupation,  he  withdrew  to  his  "  Bow- 
VM>^  erie  "  or  farm  near  the  site  of  the  present 
church,  then  two  miles  out  of  town.  In  1660  he  built 
a  small  chapel  near  his  house  for  the  people  of  the  little 
village  that  sprang  up  about  the  farm,  as  well  as  for 
his  own  family  and  the  slaves,  of  whom  there  were 
about  forty  in  the  vicinity.  This  chapel  was  torn  down 
in  1793,  and  the  Petrus  Stuyvesant  of  that  day  offered 
to  present  the  ground  and  eight  hundred  pounds  in 
money  to  Trinity  parish  if  it  would  l)uild  a  church 
there.  This  offer  was  accepted.  In  INIay,  1799,  the 
church  was  finished  and  the  body  of  it  has  remained 
intact  to  the  present  time,  but  there  w^as  no  steeple 
before  1828.  One  pew  was  reserved  for  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  and  the  corresponding  pew  on  the 
other  side  for  "  JNIr.  Stuyvesant  and  family  forever,"  * 
•each  pew  being  surmounted  by  a  canopy. f  The  ne- 
^ro  servants  (slaves)  sat  in  the  rear  of  the  congre- 
gation. 

In  a  vault  under  the  cha])el  the  governor's  body  had 
teen  placed  after  his  death,  in  1672,  and  in  1691  the 

*  By  resolution  of  the  Vestry,  August  26,  1803. 
f  Removed  in    1835. 

49 


Old  liiiildin^^s  of  X('7c  York'  ('it// 

luxly  of  the  l\iinlisli  noNcriior  ( Sl()u«iliter)  was  also 
plju'i'd   tluri'. 

Ill  Imildiiii^-  tlu'  c'liiirc'li  Stuyvesaiit's  remains  were 
remoxtd  and  i)hK'e(l  in  a  vault  beneath  the  walls  of  the 
new  I'dificr.  The  stone  whieh  may  be  seen  fastened  to 
the  outer  wall  bears  the  following  inseription:  ''  In  this 
\ault  lies  buried  Petrus  Stuyvesant,  late  Captain  Gen- 
eral and  (Governor  in  Chief  of  Amsterdam  in  Xew 
Netherlands,  now  ealled  New  York,  and  the  Dutch 
A\'est   India  Islands,  died  A.i).  1071-2,  aged  80  years." 

In  July.  1804,  the  church  was  draped  in  mourning 
for  the  deatii  of  Hamilton,  and  was  so  kept  for  six 
weeks. 


50 


Second  Avenue 

Fanner  Residence  of  the  Late  Lewis  M.  Butherfurd 

HEWIS  M.  RUTHERFURD  was  one  of  the 
most  noted  astronomers  that  this  country  has 
produced.  As  a  young  man,  he  began  the 
study  of  the  law  with  Wilham  H.  Seward,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1837  and  became  associated  with 
John  Jay  and  afterwards  with  Hamilton  Fish.  But 
his  tastes  were  entirely  in  the  direction  of  science,  and 
he  decided  to  abandon  the  law  and  apply  his  attention 
to  scientific  research.  With  ample  means,  he  had  full 
opportunity  to  devote  his  life  to  the  pursuit  of  his  favor- 
ite study,  astronomical  photograj^hy.  He  spent  several 
years  of  study  in  Europe  and,  on  his  return,  he  built 
an  observatory  in  New  York,  the  best  equipped  private 
astronomical  observatory  in  the  country.  He  made  with 
his  own  hands  an  equatorial  telescope  and  devised  a 
means  of  adapting  it  for  photographic  use  by  means  of 
a  third  lens  placed  outside  of  the  ordinary  object  glass. 
He  was  the  first  to  devise  and  construct  micrometer  ap- 
paratus for  measuring  impressions  on  the  plate.  It  is 
said  that  he  took  such  pains  in  the  construction  of  the 
threads  of  the  screws  of  his  micrometer  that  he  was 
engaged  three  years  upon  a  single  screw.  He  worked 
for  many  years  at  the  photograjjhic  method  of  observa- 

53 


Old  liiiildiiiiis  of  A'ctt'   Vorli   Cili/ 

tioii  iK't'oiv  [\\v  \ii\uc  and  importance  of  his  labors  were 
reeoiinized,  hut  in  18(>.>  tliese  were  fully  aeknowledfj^ed 
hy  the  National  Aeademy  of  Sciences.  The  remarkable 
resuHs  that  he  obtained  were  all  secured  before  the 
discoveiy  of  the  dry-plate  ])rocess.  His  ])hotographs 
of  the  moon  sur])assed  all  others  that  had  been  made. 
AVhen  oM-i-taken  by  ill  health  he  ])resented  his  instru- 
ment and  photo^Ta])hs  to  Columbia  College,  and  his 
telescope  is  now  mounted  in  the  observatory  of  that 
university. 

lie  was  an  associate  of  the  Royal  Astronomical  So- 
ciety, ])i'esident  of  the  American  Photographical  Soci- 
ety, and  was  the  American  delegate  to  the  International 
^leridian  Conference  at  Washington  in  1885,  preparing 
the  resolutions  embodying  the  results  of  the  labors  of 
the  conference.  He  received  many  decorations  and 
honors  from  the  learned  societies  of  the  w^orld,  but  his 
dislike  of  o.stentation  was  such  that  he  was  never  known 
to  wear  one  of  the  decorations,  emblems,  etc.,  that  were 
conferred  upon  him.* 

The  ]\Iansard  roof  has  been  added  to  the  house  since 
its  occupation  by  the  Rutherfurd  family  and  the  en- 
trance removed  from  the  avenue  to  the  side  street. 

^Vhen  the  house  and  grounds  of  the  late  Hon. 
Hamilton  Fish,  on  Stuyvesant  Square,  were  sold  a 
few  years  ago,  it  was  said  that  there  had  been  no  trans- 
fer of  the  site  except  by  devise  or  descent  since  the  time 
of  the  old  Governor.     The  same  might  be  said  of  this 

*  "  Nat.  Cyclop,  of  Am.  Biog.,"  vol.  VI,  p.  360. 

54 


Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Lewis  M.  Rutherfurd 

property.  Stuyvesaiit's  house,  in  wliich,  it  is  said,  the 
papers  were  signed  transferring  the  province  to  the 
British  Crown,  stood  close  to  this  spot.  The  house  is 
the  property  of  Rutherfurd  Stuyvesant,  a  son  of  Lewis 
]M.  Rutherfurd. 


55 


The  Keteltas  House 

X  example  of  an  old  Second  Avenue  dwelling, 
the  residence  of  the  Keteltas  family  on  the 
corner  of  St.  Mark's  Place. 


57 


Washington  Square 

Residence  of  Eugene  Delano 

>^^^-^HIS  house  was  formed  by  uniting  two  of  the 
£  J  fine  old  residences  on  the  north  side  of  Wash- 
^^^  ington  Square.  The  interior  has  been  admira- 
bly reconstructed.  The  house  was  formerly  occupied 
by  Edward  Cooper  (son  of  the  late  Peter  Cooper), 
who  was,  at  one  time,  JNIayor  of  the  City. 


59 


First  Presbyterian  Church,  Fifth  Avenue 


O 


HIS  church,  representing  the  oldest  Presbj^te- 
rian  organization  in  the  city,  was  formed  in 
1716.     The  building  was  erected  in  1845. 


61 


An  Old  Fifth  Avenue  House 

Former  Besideuce  of  the  Late  James  Lenox 

a  AMES  LENOX  was  born  in  New  York  in 
1800,  and  was  the  son  of  Robert  Lenox,  a 
wealthy  Scotch  merchant.  He  graduated 
from  Columbia  College  in  1820  and  entered  upon  a 
business  life,  but  on  the  death  of  his  father  in  1839 
he  retired  and  devoted  the  rest  of  his  life  to  study  and 
works  of  benevolence.  The  collection  of  books  and 
works  of  art  became  his  absorbing  passion,  and  even- 
tually he  gathered  about  him  the  largest  and  most  valu- 
able private  collection  of  books  and  paintings  in  Amer- 
ica. In  1870  he  built  the  present  Lenox  Library.  The 
collection  of  bibles  is  believed  to  be  unequaled  even  by 
those  in  the  British  INIuseum,  and  that  of  Americana 
and  Shakespeareana  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
American  library,  in  some  respects  surpassing  those  in 
Europe.  He  conveyed  the  whole  property  to  the  City 
of  New  York.  He  was  the  founder  and  the  benefactor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital. 


63 


'M:Wj    .1111 


Another  Old  Fifth  Avenue  House 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Robert  B.  Minturn 

QRIOR  to  the  Civil  AVar,  the  principal  merchants 
and  bankers  were  among  the  most  prominent 
men  in  the  city.  The  multimillionaire  had  not 
then  appeared.  The  ships  of  Howland  &  Aspinwall, 
N.  L.  &  G.  Griswold,  A.  A.  Low  &  Brother,  and 
Grinnell,  ^Minturn  &  Co.  carried  the  flag  to  the  farthest 
quarters  of  the  globe,  where  their  owners'  credit  stood 
second  to  none.  For  speed  the  American  clipper  was 
unsurpassed.  These  "  vessels  performed  wonderful  feats 
— as  when  the  Flying  Cloud  ran  from  New  York  to 
San  Francisco,  making  43314  statute  miles  in  a  single 
day;  or  the  Sovereign  of  the  Seas  sailed  for  ten  thou- 
sand miles  without  tacking  or  wearing;  or  the  Dread- 
nought made  the  passage  from  Sandy  Hook  to  Queens- 
town  in  nine  days  and  seventeen  hours."  * 

Mr.  iVIinturn  was  a  philanthropist  and  one  of  the 
best  citizens  the  town  ever  had. 

The  house  is  now  the  residence  of  Thomas  F.  Ryan. 

*  "  King's  Handbook  of  Xew  York,"  p.  88. 


G.J 


Grace  Church,  Broadway 


67 


The  Society  Library 

XN  the  year  1700  the  Pubhc  Library  of  New- 
York  was  founded  under  the  administration 
of  the  Earl  of  Bellomont,  and  seems  to  have 
progressed  as  the  city  grew%  being  aided  from  time  to 
time  by  gifts  from  interested  persons  on  the  other  side, 
several  folio  volumes  now  in  the  Society  Library  having 
been  presented  by  friends  in  London  in  1712,  and  in 
1729  the  Rev.  Dr.  jNIillington,  rector  of  Newington, 
England,  having  bequeathed  his  library  to  the  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts, 
it  was  presented  to  the  New  York  Public  Library.  The 
library,  being  in  charge  of  the  corporation  of  the  city, 
was  evidently  not  managed  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to 
the  people  in  general.  In  the  year  1754  it  was  deter- 
mined that  a  more  efficient  library  was  a  necessity.  In 
that  year  the  present  Society  Library  had  its  origin, 
and  what  Iiad  been  the  Public  I^ibrary  of  the  city  was 
incorporated  w^ith  it.  Mrs.  John  King  Van  Rensselaer  * 
states  that  it  had  its  source  in  a  movement  started  by 
Mrs.  Alexander,  who  suggested  to  some  of  her  friends 
that  a  circulating  library  should  be  established,  the  sub- 
scribers to  collect  sufficient  money  to  send  to  England 
for  the  newest  and  best  books.    A  list  was  made  lieaded 

*  Goede  Vrouw  of  Man-.u-liata. 

69 


Old  Jiuil(liii<is  of  Xctc   York  Citij 

l)y  Messrs.  \\'illi;mi  Sinitli,  Pliilip,  AVilliani  and  K()])ert 
Livingston.  .John  Morin  Scott  and  William  ^Vkxander. 
After  subsc'ri])tion  hooks  liad  been  opened  and  the  lieu- 
tenant ii()\ernor  (l)e  Lancey)  and  council  had  "set 
their  official  seal ""  on  the  venture,  a  considerable  sum 
was  raised  and  an  institution  was  regularly  organized 
and  later  received  a  charter  from  Governor  Tryon. 
Down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  the  collection  was 
constantly  increased  by  the  purchase  of  books,  but  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,  with  a  large  ])art  of  the  city  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  what  remained  being  under  the 
control  of  a  hostile  army,  the  library  suffered  greatly. 
]Mrs.  Lamb  *  states  that  "  four  thousand  or  more  books 
disappeared  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  and  were 
supposed  destroyed,  but  many  were  hidden  away  for 
safe-keeping  and  reappeared  after  the  war."  f 

In  December,  1788,  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors 
Mas  called,  trustees  were  elected,  and  the  library  again 
resumed  operations. 

The  library  was  kept  in  a  room  in  the  Federal  Hall 
in  Wall  Street  and  was  used  as  the  library  of  Congress. 
The  first  building  put  up  for  its  use  was  on  the  corner 

*  Magazine  of  American  History. 

f  The  British  took  possession  of  the  City  Hall  and  "  they  also 
plundered  it  of  all  the  books  belonging  to  the  subscription  library, 
and  also  of  a  valuable  library  which  belonged  to  the  corporation, 
the  whole  consisting  of  not  less  than  sixty  thousand  volumes.  This 
was  done  with  impunity  and  the  books  publicly  hawked  about  the 
town  for  sale  by  private  soldiers  "  ("  Lamb's  History  of  the  City 
of  New  York/'  vol.  II,  p.  134). 

70 


The  Society  Library 

of  Nassau  and  Cedar  streets  in  1795,  but  the  growth  of 
the  city  compeUing  a  change,  a  new  building  was  erected 
in  18-10  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Leonard  Street. 
The  Library  has  occupied  the  present  building  in  Uni- 
versity Place  since  ]\Iay,  1856. 

The  membership  of  the  library  has  been  from  the 
start  among  the  most  prominent  and  respectable  citi- 
zens. jNIany  of  the  original  shares  of  1754-58  have 
remained  in  the  same  families  to  the  present  time,  as 
those  of  the  Auchmuty,  Banyer,  Beekman,  Clarkson, 
Cruger,  De  Peyster,  De  Lancey,  Harrison,  Jones, 
Keteltas,  Lawrence,  Livingston,  Ludlow,  McEvers, 
]Morris,  Ogden,  Robinson,  Rutherfurd,  Smitli,  Stuyve- 
sant.  Van  Home,  and  Watts  families;  and  from  1790-96 
those  of  the  Astor,  Bailey,  Barclay,  Bowne,  Coles,  Dela- 
field.  Fish,  Gelston,  Greenleaf,  Jay,  Kemble,  Kings- 
land,  Lenox,  Low,  Lee,  Le  Roy,  Oothout,  Peters, 
Prime,  Ray,  Remsen,  Roosevelt,  Sackett,  Schermer- 
horn,  Schieif elin.  Swords,  Titus,  Townsend,  Van  Zandt, 
Van  Wagenen,  Van  Rensselaer,  Verplanck,  Wadding- 
ton,  Winthrop,  and  Woolsey  families. 


71 


ffi 


Cruger  House 

'ANY  old  New  Yorkers  remember  the  Cruger 
house    in    Fourteenth    Street    about    halfway 
between  Sixth  and  Seventh  avenues,  when  it 
was  occupied  by  the  late  ]\Irs.  Douglas  Cruger.* 

The  house,  having  a  frontage  of  seventy-five  feet, 
stood  in  the  middle  of  a  courtyard  extending  on  either 
side  about  one  hundred  feet,  separated  from  the  street 
by  a  high  wall.  Now  the  courtyard  has  disappeared  and 
the  house,  crowded  closely  on  both  sides  by  high  build- 
ings, seems  completely  dwarfed.  Decorated  with  fire 
escapes  and  signs  it  has  fallen  from  its  high  estate,  and 
the  whole  street,  formerly  a  quiet  dwelling  street,  is  now 
nearly  given  over  to  trade  and  noisy  bustle.  The  en- 
trance hall,  twenty-five  feet  in  width,  extended  from 
front  to  rear  eighty-five  feet,  a  wide  staircase  rising 
from  the  center  at  the  end,  the  conservatory  at  the  rear 
being  of  the  width  of  the  house.  The  rooms  on  either 
side  were  rather  curiously  divided,  losing  somewhat  in 
what  might  have  made  a  more  imposing  effect,  not, 
however,  enough  to  prevent  their  being  an  excellent 

*  Mrs.  Cruger  spent  lier  summers  at  that  quaint  castellated 
structure,  Henderson  House  or  Home,  seven  miles  from  Riclifield 
Springs^  the  grounds  being  part  of  twenty  thousand  acres  received 
by  letters  patent  from  the  English  crown. 

73 


Old  HiiildiN-s  of  Xcrc  York  City 

j)huv  I'or  Ihc  (lis|)()siti()n  of  the  collection  of  the  Metro- 
])olitan  ^Museum.  \\  hicli  leased  the  house  in  1873  for  five 
years.  'V\\v  house  is  described  in  tlie  annual  report  for 
that  year  as  a  "  lar^e  and  ele<»ant  building  surrounded 
by  spacious  i»'rounds,  upon  which  grounds  new  galleries 
may  be  built,  should  they  be  required.  .  .  ."  *  The 
rooms  certainly  had  more  luiobstructed  light  than  could 
be  f(Mind  in  most  ]:)rivate  houses.  It  is  now  occupied 
by  the  Salvation  xVrmy. 

*  "  Bulletin  of  Mctroi^olitaii  Museum/'   January,   1907. 


74 


Abingdon  Square — Greenwich 

"^^^^^HE  peculiarity  of  the  Greenwich  section  of  the 
■  ^  J  town  is  that  it  has  retained  an  individuahty 
^^^  that  no  other  section  has  retained.  It  is  very 
much  of  an  American  quarter.  The  streets  are  hned 
with  well-kept,  comfortable  brick  houses,  dating  back 
sixty  years  or  more,  many  of  them  with  the  elaborately 
ornamental  iron  railings  and  newel  posts  that  are  dis- 
appearing so  rapidly.  There  is  a  marked  paucity  of 
the  conventional  tenement  house,  and  although  factories 
and  warehouses  are  crowding  it  on  all  sides,  its  people 
cling  with  a  stolid  determination  to  their  ancient  homes. 

This  square  is  taken  as  representative  of  this  quarter 
of  the  city,  although  it  is  rather  in  the  streets  adjoining 
that  the  houses  are  most  representative  of  old  dwellings 
of  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago.  Before  the  arrival  of 
Henry  Hudson,  there  was  an  Indian  village  here  near 
the  site  of  Gansevoort  ^Market,  but  Governor  Van 
Twiller  turned  the  locality  into  a  tobacco  farm.  By 
1727  it  became  covered  with  farms  and  was  joined  to 
the  city  by  a  good  road  very  nearly  following  the  line 
of  the  present  Greenwich  Street. 

The  region  was  always  noted  for  its  healthfulness 
and  wlien  an  e])idemic  of  smallpox  broke  out  Admiral 
W^arren  invited  the  Colonial  Assembly  to  meet  at  his 

77 


Old  liiiildiiiiis  of  \i'7c   VorJx    ('it// 

lioiisf.  'I'liis  iiwuk'  (iirt'invicli  the  fashion,  and  I'or  nearly 
a  century  wlun  epidenncs  occurred  the  ])eo])le  Hocked 
out  of  town  to  that  villa<>e.  At  one  time  tlie  IJank 
of  New  York  transferred  its  business  there. 

No  history  of  this  ])art  of  the  city  can  be  written 
without  some  reference  to  that  bold  Irish  sailor,  Admiral 
Sir  Peter  Warren.  Post  captain  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  he.  in  IT-t^.  while  in  command  of  the  squadron  on 
the  Leeward  Islands  station,  in  less  than  four  months 
ca])tured  twenty-four  prizes,  one  with  a  cargo  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds  in  plate.  He  also 
served  at  Louisburg,  Gibraltar,  and  elsewhere.  When 
at  length  he  tired  of  a  seafaring  life,  althoug*h  still 
young,  he  decided  ui)on  making  his  home  in  New  York, 
and  proceeded  to  anchor  himself  for  a  time  at  least  by 
marrying  a  New  York  woman,  INIiss  De  Lancey.  He 
bought  three  hundred  acres  of  land  at  Greenwich,  built 
a  house  and  laid  out  the  grounds  like  an  English  park. 
Here  he  resided  for  some  years,  and  then  went  to  Eng- 
land and  entered  Parliament. 

He  died  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  and  lies  buried  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  with  a  fine  monument  by  Roubillac 
above  him.  After  Lady  Warren's  death  the  property 
was  divided  into  three  lots,  one  lot  going  to  each  of 
the  three  daughters.  The  lot  containing  the  house  fell 
to  the  eldest  daughter,  Lady  Abingdon,  and  was  sold 
by  her  to  Abijah  Hammond,  who  afterwards  sold  it 
to  the  late  Abraham  Van  Nest.  The  remainder  was 
sold  off  in  small  parcels  after  three  roads  had  been  cut 

78 


A hingdon  Square — Greenwich 

through  them,  the  Abingdon,  Fitzroy,  and  Skinner 
roads.*  The  first  corres^Donds  to  the  present  Twenty- 
first  Street,  the  second  was  ahnost  on  a  Hne  with  Eighth 
Avenue,  and  the  third  was  part  of  the  present  Christo- 
pher Street. 

*  Named  after  the  three  daughters,  Countess  of  Abingdon,  Lady 
Southampton    (Fitzroy),   and   Mrs.   Colonel  Skinner. 


79 


Gramercy  Square 

DOW  that  St.  John's  Park  has  been  destroyed, 
Gramercy  Park  is  the  only  private  park  in 
the  city — that  is,  one  restricted  in  its  use  to 
owners  of  houses  facing  it.  Fifty  years  ago  it  had 
more  sechision.  A  high  and  dense  hedge  surrounded 
it  on  the  inside  of  the  iron  fence.  For  some  reason 
this  was  removed  and  never  replanted.  Now  people  in 
the  park  might  almost  as  well  be  in  the  middle  of  the 
street.  The  figure  on  the  fountain  was  then  a  Hebe 
perpetually  filling  her  cup  with  water.  In  former  days 
the  children  that  played  in  the  grounds  had  an  annual 
May  festival  on  the  first  of  the  month.  One  of  the 
young  girls  was  chosen  queen.  Dressed  in  white  and 
crowned  with  flowers,  she  led  the  festivities  around  the 
Maypole,  under  the  trees.  Later  they  all  withdrew  to 
the  house  of  her  parents,  where  a  collation  was  served 
and  the  dancing  continued  until  the  children  were  sent 
home  by  their  parents  and  to  bed. 

A  number  of  men  who  have  been  prominent  in  the 
city's  life  are  living  or  have  lived  in  houses  about  the 
square.  AVe  might  mention  John  Bigelow,  Stuyvesant 
Fish,  James  W.  (xcrard,  Edwin  Booth,  Samuel  J. 
Tilden,  Dr.  Bellows,  Dr.  A'alentine  INIott,  Cyrus  W. 
Field,  and  David  Dudlev  Field. 


81 


Gramercy  Square 

Residence  of  John  Bigelow 

K.  BIGELOW,  one  of  the  best-known  citizens 
of  Xew  York,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1839 
and  in  I80O  joined  William  Cullen  Bryant  as 
editor  of  the  Xew  York  Evening  Post.  He  continued 
as  one  of  the  principal  editors  until  1861,  when  he  was 
appointed  consul  at  Paris,  and  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Dayton  became  United  States  ^Minister,  remaining  so 
until  1866. 

While  at  Paris  he  published  "  Les  Etats  Unis 
d'Amerique."  This  work  corrected  the  erroneous  views 
of  the  French  as  to  the  relative  commercial  importance 
of  the  Xorthern  and  Southern  States  and  was  effective 
in  discouraging  the  supposed  desire  of  the  French  Gov- 
ernment for  the  disruption  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Bigelow  also  conducted  the  negotiations  leading 
to  the  withdrawal  of  the  French  army  from  ^Mexico. 
In  1875  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Secretary  of 
State  of  Xew  York.  He  has  published  "  The  Uife  of 
Samuel  J.  Tilden,"  of  whom  he  was  one  of  the  three 
executors;  "The  Mj^stery  of  Sleep"  and  numerous 
other  works.  He  has  been  honored  by  degrees  from 
various  colleges  and  universities.* 

*  "  Natl.  Cyclo.  of  Amer.  Biog." 


83 


Gramercy  Square 

Foniicr  Residence  of  the  Late  Lutlier  ('.  (lark 


fi 


OR  many  years  this  house  was  the  residence  of 
]Mr.  Clark,  the  well-known  banker.  It  is  now 
the  house  of  the  Columbia  University  Club. 


85 


Gramercy  Square 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  James  W.  Gerard 

K.  GERARD  was  an  eminent  lawyer.  Born 
in  this  city  in  1794,  of  French  ancestry  on 
his  father's  side,  he  graduated  from  Columbia 
College  in  1811,  and  in  1816  took  the  degree  of  M.A. 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  A  man  of  great  public 
spirit,  he,  in  1824,  procured  the  incorporation  of  the 
House  of  Refuge  for  Juvenile  Delinquents,  the  first 
institution  of  tlie  kind  in  the  country.  Formerly,  the 
police  or  "  watchmen,"  as  they  were  called,  wore  no 
uniforms.  Occasionally,  an  ordinary  looking  man  would 
be  seen  wandering  about  the  streets,  and,  if  the  wind 
happened  to  turn  aside  the  lapel  of  his  coat,  one  might 
observe  a  small  metal  shield.  This  was  tlie  only  indi- 
cation of  his  office.  JNIr.  Gerard  publicly  advocated  the 
ado]:)tion  of  a  uniform  and  by  lettei's,  addresses,  and 
])ersistent  action  accomplished  his  purpose.  He  wore 
the  new  uniform  at  a  fancy  dress  ball  given  by  Mrs. 
Coventry  Waddell,  wlio  occupied  a  Gothic  villa,  with 
tower,  turrets,  etc.,  on  Fifth  ^\.\'enue,  at  the  top  of 
Murray  Hill,  and  entertained  a  great  deal. 

Mr.  Gerard  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  charitable 
institutions  and  was  especially   interested  in  the  public 

87 


Old  liiiihliniis  of  Xnc  VorJx   Citi/ 

schools  of  the  city.  lie  was  a  capital  si)eaker.  His 
s|)i(.chcs  were  witty  and  always  in  ^ood  taste.  Tliat 
lie  was  in  constant  demand,  in  his  prime,  at  dinners 
both  ])nl)lic  and  ])rivate.  is  readily  ])erceived  by  looking 
thron«ili  the  ])a*»es  of  Mayor  Phili])  Hone's  diary. 

Graniercv  I'ark    was   founded   in    ]8.*31    and   this  is 
said  to  he  the  oldest  house  facini»'  it. 


88 


& 


Gramercy  Square 

''  The  Plaijers  " 

'DWIX  BOOTH,  perhaps  the  most  distin- 
guished American  actor,  was  born  in  INIary- 
hmd  in  1833.  He  made  his  fii'st  appearance 
in  1849  and  was  ever  after  devoted  to  his  profession, 
playing  throughout  this  country  and  also  abroad. 

He  was  crushed  by  the  affair  of  the  assassination 
of  President  Lincoln  and  retired  from  the  stage  for  a 
year,  but  never  lost  his  personal  popularity.  He  opened 
Booth's  Theater  in  Twenty-third  Street  in  1869  and 
for  thirteen  years  maintained  the  most  popular  revivals 
of  Shakespeare's  tragedies  ever  known  in  the  city.  Al- 
though forced  into  bankruptcy  in  1873,  he  retrieved  his 
fortunes  by  earning  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in 
fifty-six  weeks. 

In  1882  he  went  to  Kurope  and  was  received  with 
the  greatest  favor.  In  1888  he  purchased  the  building 
here  shown  (formerly  the  residence  of  Valentine  G. 
Hall),  remodeled  and  furnished  it  and  presented  it  to 
actors  and  tlie  friends  of  the  drama  as  "  Tlie  Players," 
a  complete  gentleman's  club,  liootli  made  his  home 
at  "  The  Players  "  from  the  date  of  its  opening  until 
his  deatli,  A\]iich  took  ])]ace  in  tliis  Iioiisf  ,]\\\\v  7.  1893.* 

*  "  N;itl.  Cvclo.  ol'  Anicr.  15i()<>-." 


91 


Gramercy  Square 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Samuel  J.  Tilden 

R.  TIL13EX  had  a  great  reputation  for  skill 
as  a  lawyer.  He  was  also  a  thorough  poli- 
tician, heing  chairman  of  the  Democratic  State 
Committee  of  Xew  York  for  thirteen  years.  Nominated 
for  President  in  1876,  he  received  a  majority  of  the 
popular  vote,  hut  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  votes  of 
several  States  were  disputed,  the  celebrated  Electoral 
Commission  was  appointed,  consisting  of  senators, 
judges,  and  representatives.  The  commission  divided 
on  party  lines  and  gave  the  disputed  votes  to  ]Mr.  Hayes. 
The  house  is  formed  by  combining  two,  one  formerly 
having  a  front  similar  to  that  of  "  The  Players,"  and 
the  other  with  a  front  corresponding  to  tlie  l)rick  house 
adjoining  on  the  west.  The  larger  house  had  belonged 
to  the  Belden  family.  Both  the  Hall  and  tlie  Belden 
houses  once  had  ornamental  iron  lialconies  at  tlie  main 
floor  with  canopies  similar  to  those  now  seen  attached 
to  the  fronts  of  the  houses  on  the  west  side  of  the  square, 
and  were  alike  in  appearance,  excepting  that  the  Belden 
house  had  the  coat  of  arms  carved  in  high  relief  over 
the  door.  One  of  the  beautiful  blisses  lielden  married 
the  late  Dudley  Field,  another  the  late  ColcHiel  Tal- 
madge. 

1)3 


Old  liiiildin-s  of  \cw   Vork  Cil// 

'I'lu'  iiMi'dcns  ill  the  rear  ol'  these  two  houses  were 
the  hnncst  in  thi-  low ,  extending'  throuoh  the  block  \o 
Xiiieteeiitli  Street,  a  part  near  tlie  Belden  house  l)eino* 
formally  laid  out  with  hox-ed*»ed  walks  and  flower  beds, 
wJiile  the  rest  Mas  turfed  and  shaded  by  large  trees,  a 
few  of  Mhich  survived  until  a  year  or  two  ago,  when 
they  were  eut  down  to  make  way  for  the  new  building 
of  the  National  Arts  Club,  the  present  owner.  ]Mr. 
Tilden,  joining  with  the  other  owners  on  the  square  and 
the  owners  of  the  houses  on  Irving  Place,  had  all  the 
wooden  fences  in  the  angle  formed  by  these  houses  re- 
moved and  an  open  iron  fence  put  in  their  place.  Asr 
there  were  no  houses  on  Nineteenth  Street,  there  re- 
mained an  unusual  effect  of  greenery  and  trees  for  New 
York  City. 


94 


Gramercy  Square 

Former  Besidence  of  the  Late  Rev.  Dr.  Henry   W. 

Bellows 

OR.  BELI^OWS  was  a  distinguished  clergyman. 
Born  in  1814,  he  graduated  at  Harvard  and 
at  the  Cambridge  Divinity  School,  and  in  1838 
became  the  pastor  of  the  First  Unitarian  Church,  Xew 
York,  and  so  continued  for  forty-four  years.  Dr.  Bel- 
lows was  an  accomplished  orator,  his  extemporaneous 
speeches  being  remarkable  for  their  lucidity  and  style. 
He  published  numerous  lectures  and  pamphlets,  but  is 
best  known  throughout  the  country  for  his  work  as 
president  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission 
during  the  Civil  War.  Under  him  the  commission  dis- 
tributed supplies  amounting  to  fifteen  millions  of  dol- 
lars in  value  and  five  millions  of  money.  The  results 
of  the  experience  of  the  commission  in  their  work  of 
reducing  the  suffering  in  war  have  been  copied  abroad. 


07 


Gramercy  Square 

Fonncr  Residence  of  ihe  Late  Dr.  Valentine  Mott 

OR.  ]MOTT  was  a  distinguished  surgeon,  and  one 
of  the  best-known  citizens  of  the  small  town 
of  sixty  or  seventy  years  ago.  He  previously 
lived  at  the  easterly  end  of  Depau  Row.  For  many 
years  Dr.  31.  resided  in  Paris,  during  the  reign  of  Louis 
Philippe,  whose  physician  he  was.  In  1841  *  a  ball  was 
given  for  the  Prince  de  Joinville  at  the  Depau  Row 
house,  and  during  the  Civil  War  the  Comte  de  Paris 
and  brothers  were  entertained  at  the  Gramercy  Square 
house. 

*  "  Diary  of  Phili])  Hone."  vol.  II,  p.  101. 


99 


Gramercy  Square 

Rectory  of  Calvarij  Parish 

"^^^-^HIS  rectory  has  been  the  home  of  many  clergy- 
€  J  men  celebrated  in  the  community.  One  of  the 
^^^  early  rectors  was  Dr.  Francis  Lister  Hawks. 
Born  at  Newbern,  X.  C,  in  1798,  he  was  ordained  in 
1827  and  was  conspicuous  in  the  church  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1866. 

In  1844  he  became  rector  of  Christ  Church,  New 
Orleans,  and  president  of  the  University  of  Louisiana, 
and  in  1849  he  became  rector  of  this  parish.  Being  of 
Southern  birth,  he,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
withdrew  to  the  South,  but  returned  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  published  many  works  on  ecclesiastical 
and  other  subjects.  He  declined  the  bishopric  of  Mis- 
sissippi and  also  that  of  Rhode  Island. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Arthur  Cleveland  Coxe  was  at  one 
time  rector.  He  afterwards  became  the  Bishop  of 
Western  Xe^v  York.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Henry  Yates 
Satterlee  was  for  many  years  the  well-known  rector  of 
this  parish.     He  is  now  Bishop  of  Washington. 


101 


Gramercy  Square 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Stanford  White 

R.  WHITE  was  an  eminent  architect.     It  is 
now  the  house  of  the  Princeton  Chib. 


103 


Gramercy  Square 

Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Cyrus  W.  Field  and  the 
Late  David  Dudley  Field 

GYRUS  W.  FIELD  was  a  business  man  until 
about  1854-56,  when  with  Peter  Cooper, 
Closes  Taylor,  and  others  he  organized  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph  Company.  Although  the  first 
cable  was  laid  in  1858,  it  was  not  until  1866  that  the 
enterprise  was  entirely  successful,  after  INIr.  Field  had 
crossed  the  ocean  thirty  times  in  the  prosecution  of  the 
work.  He  received  the  thanks  of  Congress  and  many 
other  honors. 

His  brother,  David  Dudley  Field,  was  conspicuous 
at  the  New  York  bar  for  over  fifty  years.  For  forty 
years  of  tliis  time  he  devoted  all  his  spare  moments  to 
the  subject  of  the  reform  of  the  law  and  obtained  a 
marked  success.  The  new  system  of  civil  procedure  has 
been  adopted  in  many  States  and  substantially  followed 
in  Great  Britain.  In  1873  he  was  elected  tlie  first  presi- 
dent of  an  association  for  the  reform  and  codification  of 
the  law  of  nations  formed  at  Brussels  in  that  year.* 

The  two  houses  owned  by  the  brothers  Field  have 
been  united  by  the  present  owner,  Henry  W.  Poor, 
banker  and  autlior  of  the  statistical  work  on  American 
railways  uni\'ersally  consulted  by  bankers  and  investors 
throughout  the  country.  The  interior  has  been  beauti- 
fully reconstinicted. 

*  "  Natl.  Cyclo.  of  Amer.  Biog." 

105 


Former  Residence  of  the  Late  Peter  Cooper 
and  the  Late  Abrani  S.  Hewitt 

QETER  COOPER  was  bom  in  Xew  York  in 
1791.  His  father  being  a  man  of  small  means, 
he  was  at  an  early  age  put  into  business  and 
contributed  to  the  support  of  his  family. 

He  entered  into  the  manufacture  of  glue  and  soon 
became  the  best -known  maker  of  that  commodity.  In 
1828,  when  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  he  had  acquired 
considerable  wealth  and  was  enabled  to  buy  three  thou- 
sand acres  of  land  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Balti- 
more. Here  he  built  the  great  Canton  Iron  Works,  and 
the  entire  investment  soon  proved  extremely  successful. 
About  the  year  18.30  he  built,  at  the  West  Point  Foun- 
dry, X.  Y.,  the  first  locomotive  constructed  in  the 
United  States  for  actual  service.  Xot  long  after  he 
disposed  of  the  Canton  Iron  Works  and  erected  enor- 
mous iron  works  at  the  city  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  Tlie 
firm  was  a  pioneer  in  tlie  successful  manufactiu-e  of 
iron  and  became  one  of  the  largest  of  the  kind  in  the 
country. 

]Mr.  Cooper  made  many  inventions  in  connection 
with  this  business.  He  became  associated  with  Cyrus 
W.  Field  in  his  efforts  to  lay  the  Atlantic  Cable,  and 

107 


OhJ  niiildiu^s  of  Xnc  York  Ciii/ 

tlif  final  siR'crss  of  that  enterprise  was  in  great  measure 
(hie  to  liis  eooperation.  ]\Ir.  Cooper  is  perhaps  best 
known  as  the  founder  of  the  Cooper  Institute,  of  which 
he  eoninienced  tlie  construction  as  early  as  1853.  The 
ohjeets  of  tliis  institution  were  to  furnish  free  schools 
in  art  and  science  and  a  free  reading  room  and  to  pro- 
vide free  lectures  on  scientific,  artistic,  and  social  sub- 
jects.    ]Mr.  Cooper  died,  universally  respected,  in  1883. 

Abram  S.  Hewitt,  a  native  of  Rockland  County, 
X.  Y.,  was  the  son-in-law  of  Peter  Cooper,  and  to  him, 
in  partnership  Mith  his  son  Edward  Cooper,  he  trans- 
ferred that  branch  of  his  business  connected  with  the 
manufacture  of  iron.  ]\Ir.  Hewitt  was  a  man  much 
interested  in  the  great  social  problems,  being  no  mere 
theorist  but  a  man  ready  to  sacrifice  his  own  interests 
to  the  well  being  of  his  dependents. 

It  is  a  fact  that  for  forty  years  the  business  at  Tren- 
ton was  carried  on  with  absolutely  no  profit  beyond  the 
amount  necessary  to  pay  the  wages  of  the  three  thou- 
sand men  employed  and  the  regular  expenses  of  the 
establishment.  He  stated  at  one  of  the  meetings  of 
tlie  Congressional  Committee  on  the  grievances  of  labor 
tliat  from  1873  to  1879  the  business  was  carried  on  at 
a  loss  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  Of 
course,  one  object  ^vas  to  continue  the  business  and  to 
prevent  the  deterioration  of  the  plant,  but  the  firm  also 
aimed  to  avoid  throwing  such  a  large  body  of  men  out 
of  employment,  although  at  times  they  were  placed  on 
half  pay. 

108 


Former  Besideuce  of  the  Late  Peter  Cooper 

Notwithstanding,  the  firm  hecanie  wealthy  through 
ventures  not  relating  to  the  iron  business  and  also 
through  investments  connected  with  it.  As  an  exam- 
ple it  may  be  mentioned  that  a  large  purchase  of  iron 
in  1879-80  resulted  in  a  profit  of  a  million  dollars.  In 
1874  ]Mr.  Hewitt  was  elected  a  representative  to  Con- 
gress and  served  with  the  exception  of  one  term  until 
1886.  In  that  year  he  was  chosen  mayor  of  Xew  York. 
JNIr.  Hewitt  was  extremely  honest  and  independent. 
He  was  neither  a  free  trader  nor  a  protectionist.  He 
was  a  reformer  but  not  a  radical  one,  and  at  his  death 
the  nation,  and  especially  the  Democratic  Party,  lost 
a  wise  statesman  and  counselor.* 

*  "  Xatl.  Cyclo.  of  Amer.  Biog." 


109 


The  General  Theological  Seminary 

Chelsea 

'OME  time  about  the  year  1750  Captain  Clarke, 
a  veteran  of  the  provincial  army,  who  had 
seen  considerable  service  in  the  French  war, 
built  a  country  house,  two  or  three  miles  north  of  the 
city,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Chelsea.  He  gave 
it  this  name  because  he  said  it  was  to  be  the  retreat  of 
an  old  soldier  in  the  evening  of  his  days. 

It  has  been  thought  that  the  name  of  Greenwich  was 
given  to  the  neighboring  estate  by  Admiral  Warren 
for  a  corresponding  sentimental  reason,  but  jNIr.  Janvier, 
in  that  very  entertaining  book,  "  In  Old  New  York," 
shows  that  the  name  of  Greenwich  was  in  use  long  be- 
fore the  admiral's  advent.  Captain  Clarke,  unfortu- 
nately, was  not  destined  long  to  enjoy  the  house  he 
had  built.  During  his  last  illness,  the  house  caught  fire 
and  the  captain  came  very  near  being  burned  with  it, 
but  he  was  carried  out  by  neighbors  and  shortly  after 
died  in  an  adjacent  farmhouse.  JNIrs.  Clarke  rebuilt  the 
house  on  the  crest  of  a  hill  that  sloped  down  to  the  river 
about  three  hundred  feet  distant.*  The  estate  descended 
to  her  daughter,  the  wife  of  Bishop  Moore,  and  in  1813^ 

*  "  In  Old  New  York,"  by  Thomas  A.   Janvier. 
Ill 


Old  liui}(Iin<is  of  Xcic  York  ('it if 

it  \\:is  coin  t'vi'd  to  tlicir  son.  Clement  C\  ^Nloore,*  by 
\\lioiii  llif  old  lioiist'  was  considerably  enlarged.  The 
liouse  was  taken  down  when  the  bulkhead  along  the 
river  I'ront  was  eonstnieted  by  tlie  city.  ]Mr.  JNIoore 
ijave  the  whole  of  tiie  block  bounded  by  Twentieth  and 
Twenty-first  streets  and  Ninth  and  Tenth  avenues  to 
the  (tcneral  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Kpiscopal 
Church,  and  it  became  known  as  Chelsea  Square.  The 
building  here  shown  was  built  about  1835  and  is  con- 
structed of  a  gray  stone.  The  modern  buildings,  how- 
ever, are  of  brick  and  stone,  of  a  Gothic  style  and,  with 
the  old  trees  remaining  and  the  stretches  of  green  lawn, 
produce,  especially  in  summer  time,  a  suggestion  of 
English  seclusion  and  repose  quite  at  variance  wdth  the 
bustle  and  the  crudeness  of  that  part  of  the  city. 

*  Remembered  as  the  writer  of  that  popular  poem^  "  'Twas  the 
night  before  Christmas/'  etc. 


112 


Former  Residence  of  the 
Late  William  C.  Schermerhorn 


115 


Church  of  the  Transfiguration 

XT  is  difficult  to  realize  the  position  held  forty 
years  ago  by  the  old  Wallack's  Theater  at 
Broadway  and  Thirteenth  Street.  It  was  in  a 
way  a  -city  institution.  The  company  remained  nearly 
the  same  for  years,  with  occasional  changes,  and  its 
members  were,  one  and  all,  accomplished  in  their  pro- 
fession. The  receipts  of  the  theater  were  as  regular  as 
those  of  a  bank. 

The  elder  Wallack,  a  well-bred  Englishman,  was  a 
finished  actor  of  the  old  school.  His  son,  Lester  Wal- 
lack, was  an  extraordinarily  handsome  man  of  the  ro- 
mantic type,  well  suited  for  the  more  sentimental  drama 
of  the  day,  although  his  wealth  of  curly  black  hair  and 
whiskers  would  violate  our  modern  canons  of  taste,  ^y 
his  father's  desire  when  a  3'oung  man  he  became  an  offi- 
cer in  the  British  army,  but  after  serving  two  years 
resigned  and  adopted  the  profession  of  the  stage.  His 
wife  was  a  sister  of  JNIillais,  the*  artist. 

George  Holland  was  a  short,  thickset  man  with  a 
rather  large  head,  w^ho  w^as  seldom  cast  for  a  very  prom- 
inent part,  ])ut  his  humor  and  his  evident  geniality  and 
honesty  made  him  a  favorite  with  the  ])ublic.  Conse- 
quently when  the  story  of  his  funeral  became  public, 
there  was  some  indignation  expressed. 

117 


Old  Buildings  of  Nczc  York  City 

It  is  fair  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Sabine,  however,  to  say 
tliat  it  is  chiinied  that  when  approached  by  the  parties 
having  charge  of  the  funeral,  he  told  them  that  the 
Church  of  the  Incarnation  was  undergoing  repairs,  that 
the  aisles  were  crowded  with  workmen  and  scaffolding, 
and  that  it  would  prove  an  inconvenience  to  all  parties 
to  hold  the  services  in  that  church.  The  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Houghton,  rector  of  this  parish  for  forty-nine  years, 
was  a  clergyman  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  the  peo- 
ple of  this  city. 


118 


lu- 


^^^ 

^ 


Residence  of  J.   Pierpont  Morgan 


121 


Former  Residence  of  the 
Late  Theodore  A.  Havemeyer 


123 


a] 


Former  Residence 
of  the  Late  Edwin  D.  Morgan 

'DWIN  D.  ISIORGAN,  born  in  Berkshire  Coun- 
ty, ^lass.,  in  1811,  came  to  New  York  in  1836 
and  founded  a  mercantile  house  which  became 
very  successful.  In  1858  he  was  elected  Governor  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  as  he  continued  to  hold 
that  office  during  the  first  years  of  the  Civil  War  he  is 
frequently  referred  to  as  "  The  War  Governor."  In 
1861  he  was  appointed  major  general  of  volunteers  and 
placed  in  command,  but  refused  to  receive  any  compen- 
sation for  his  services.  In  1862  he  was  chosen  United 
States  Senator  and  occupied  that  ofifice  until  March, 
1869. 

President  Lincoln  offered  him  the  position  of  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury.  The  same  position  was  offered 
him  by  President  Arthur  in  1881,  but  on  both  occasions 
he  declined  the  honor. 

Pie  was  a  most  generous  benefactor  to  charitable 
institutions  during  his  lifetime  and  also  by  virtue  of  his 
last  will  and  testament.*  The  grounds  attached  to  this 
house  are  extensive  for  New  York  City. 

*  "  Natl.  Cyclo.  of  Ainer.  Biog." 


125 


ThetOld  Arsenal— Central  Park 


127 


Claremont 

"^^^^HE  view  of  the  Hudson,  on  a  fine  day,  to  a 
M^  J  person  looking  northward  from  Claremont  is 
^^^  one  of  the  best  on  the  river.  Being  on  a  high 
point  that  juts  out  somewhat  into  the  stream,  the  spec- 
tator appreciates  the  river's  breadth.  In  former  days 
the  site  of  Claremont  was  remarkable  for  its  magnifi- 
cent trees,  pine,  oak  and  tulip,  of  extraordinary  girth, 
height  and  spread,  but  the  building  of  the  railroad 
(which  spoiled  so  many  country  seats)  sounded  its  death 
knell  in  respect  to  its  being  a  place  of  residence  with 
appropriate  surroundings.  What  is  now  known  as 
Claremont  appears  at  an  early  period  to  have  been 
composed  of  two  properties,  the  upper  or  northerly 
one  being  called  "  Strawberry  Hill,"  or  "  Claremont," 
and  the  lower  or  southerly  one  "  Monte  Alto."  Some 
of  the  early  deeds  were  not  recorded  and  the  writer 
has  not  ascertained  when  or  how  the  division  was 
made. 

A  tract  of  land  including  that  on  which  the  house 
stands  was  conveyed  in  1774  to  Nicholas  de  Peyster, 
and  in  August,  1776,  was  sold  by  him  to  George  Pol- 
lock, an  Irish  linen  merchant. 

Pollock  endeavored  to  improve  the  place  by  clearing 
and  cultivation,  as  is  shown  by  the  statement  in  a  letter 

129 


Old  liiiihJiiigs  of  Xctc  York  Citij 

iiKntioiK'd  l)el()w,  in  wliicli  lie  says:  "  I  have  long  con- 
sidered those  grounds  as  of  my  own  creation,  having 
selected  tlieni  wlieii  wild,  and  brought  the  place  to  its 
])resent  form."  lie  named  the  place  "  Strawberry 
Hill."  xVfter  living  there  for  some  years  and  after  the 
loss  of  a  child  (said  to  have  occurred  by  drowning)  he 
withdrew  to  England. 

Almost  everyone  who  has  visited  Grant's  Tomb  re- 
members the  marble  funereal  monument  in  the  form  of 
an  iu*n  inclosed  within  an  iron  railing  near  the  top  of 
the  hill.  The  inscription,  much  blurred  by  time,  reads: 
"  Erected  to  the  memory  of  an  amiable  child,  St.  Claire 
Pollock,  died  15th.  July  1797  in  the  5  year  of  his  age." 
Then  follow  some  lines  of  verse.  In  a  letter  written 
from  England  by  ]Mr.  Pollock  to  ]Mrs.  Gulian  Ver- 
planck,  M'ho  had  become  the  owner  of  that  or  the  ad- 
joining place,  dated  July  18,  1800,  he  writes:  "  There  is 
a  small  enclosure  near  your  boundary  fence  within  which 
lie  the  remains  of  a  favorite  child,  covered  by  a  marble 
monument.  .  .  .  The  surrounding  ground  will  fall  into 
the  hands  of  I  know  not  whom,  whose  prejudice  or 
better  taste  may  remove  the  monument  and  lay  the  en- 
closm'e  open.  You  will  confer  a  peculiar  and  interest- 
ing favor  upon  me  by  allow^ing  me  to  convey  the  en- 
closure to  you,  so  that  you  will  consider  it  a  part  of  your 
own  estate,  keeping  it  however  always  enclosed  and 
sacred.  There  is  a  w^hite  marble  funereal  urn  to  place 
on  the  monument  which  will  not  lessen  its  beauty.  I 
have  long  considered  those  grounds  as  of  my  own  crea- 

130 


Claremont 

tion,  having  selected  them  when  wild,  and  brought  the 
place  to  its  present  form.  Having  so  long  and  so  de- 
lightfully resided  there,  I  feel  an  interest  in  it  that  I 
cannot  get  rid  of  by  time."  * 

In  July,  1803,  a  tract  of  over  thirty-one  acres  was 
conveyed  by  John  B.  Prevost,  former  Recorder  of  the 
city,  to  Joseph  Alston,  of  South  Carolina,  planter. 
Alston  f  seems  to  have  held  the  property  about  three 
years  and  then  to  have  sold  it  to  John  JNIarsden  Pintard. 
This  deed  conveys  the  tract  known  as  "  Monte  Alto." 
In  November,  1808,  a  release  was  recorded,  executed  by 
Theodosia  Burr  Alston  in  favor  of  Michael  Hogan, 
gentleman,  Hogan  having  bought  IMonte  Alto  from 
Pintard.i: 

There  is  no  record  of  any  conveyance  of  Claremont, 

*"N.  Y.  Standard  Guide,"  p.  112. 

f  Joseph  Alston  became  Governor  of  South  Carolina.  Mrs. 
Alston,  the  daughter  of  Aaron  Burr,  met  with  a  tragic  fate.  On 
December  30,  1812,  she  sailed  from  Charleston  in  a  small  schooner. 
The  Patriot,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Green,  a  friend  of  her  father's, 
her  physician  and  her  maid.  The  vessel  never  reached  its  destina- 
tion. Forty  years  afterwards,  three  men,  two  in  Virginia  and  one 
in  Texas,  made  deathbed  confessions  that  they  had  been  members 
of  the  crew,  that  the  crew  had  mutinied  and  murdered  all  the  officers 
and  passengers,  Mrs.  Alston  being  the  last  to  walk  the  plank.  The 
expression  of  her  face,  one  man  said,  haunted  him  the  rest  of  his 
life. 

X  Pintard  was  a  very  prominent  man  in  the  first  part  of  the 
last  century,  the  founder  of  tlie  New  York  Historical  Society  and 
many  other  city  institutions. 

131 


Old  Buildings  of  Xcxc  Vorh'  ('it// 

by  Gillian  \  crplanck  or  liis  executors,  to  Ilogan,*  but 
a  deed  made  by  Robert  Lenox,  Jacob  Stout,  and  John 
Wells,  trustees,  to  ^Michael  Hogan,  dated  July  21,  1819, 
reconveys  to  him  all  i)roperty  not  disposed  of  in  the 
execution  of  their  trust,  which  is  referred  to  as  having 

*  The  author  of  "  The  Old  Merchants  of  New  York  City  "  gives 
this  account  of  Hogan,  written  in  his  peculiar  style:  "  Now  look 
back  forty-eight  years  ago  to  1805,  and  there  was  but  one  Hogan 
in  New  York.  His  name  was  Michael  Hogan,  and  he  had  only 
landed  in  the  city  a  few  months,  but  what  attention  he  received  from 
all  the  leading  men  of  that  day !  Robert  Lenox  at  that  time  lived 
in  good  style  at  157  Pearl  Street.  He  sent  an  invitation  to  the 
distinguished  stranger  the  second  day  of  his  arrival.  He  was  such 
a  man  as  did  not  arrive  in  the  then  small  city  of  New  York  every 
day.  Michael  Hogan  brought  with  him  in  solid  gold  sovereigns 
four  hundred  thousand  pounds,  equal  to  two  million  dollars,  and 
he  had  a  wonderful  history.  What  wovdd  I  not  give  if  I  could  write 
it  all  out!  All  these  l60  Hogan  families  alluded  to  above,  mostly 
Irish,  are  kith  and  kin  of  the  great  nabob,  for  such  he  was  when  he 
arrived  here  in  1804,  with  his  dark  Indian  princess  wife.  Michael 
Hogan  was  born  at  Stone  Hall,  in  the  County  of  Clare,  Ireland, 
September  26,  1766.  So  he  was  thirty-eight  years  old  when  he 
landed  in  New  York,  with  his  dark-skinned  lady  and  his  fabulous 
amount  of  gold.  But  what  scenes  he  had  been  through  in  these 
eventful  thirty-eight  years !  He  had  been  a  sailor ;  he  had  com- 
manded ships  bound  to  ports  in  every  quarter  of  the  world — in  Asia, 
Africa,  America,  and  Europe;  he  had  been  to  North  as  well  as  South 
America;  and  he  had  voyaged  to  the  West  as  well  as  to  the  East 
Indies;  he  had  made  successful  voyages  to  the  almost  then  unknown 
land  of  Australia.  In  the  East  Indies  he  had  married  a  lady  of 
great  wealth.  This  was  the  story  that  was  talked  about  when  Cap- 
tain Michael  Hogan  came  here." — Fourth  Series,  p.   115. 

132 


Claremont 

been  imposed  by  two  previous  deeds  of  assignment  or 
conveyance  dated  July  25,  1811.  It  is  here  that  it  is 
generally  thought  a  vagueness  and  uncertainty  as  to 
the  true  owner  exists.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Clare- 
mont was  occupied  by  a  rather  mysterious  individual,  an 
Englishman  named  Courtenay,  who,  it  is  said,  in  after 
years,  inherited  the  title  of  the  Earl  of  Devon. 

Mr.  Haswell,*  in  his  "  Reminiscences  of  an  Octo- 
genarian," says,  page  25 :  "  West  of  Broadway,  between 
Eleventh  and  Twelfth  avenues  and  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-third  Street,  there  was  a  large  country  resi- 
dence occupied  by  an  Englishman,  a  Mr.  Courtenay, 
wdth  but  one  man  servant  and  a  cook.  He  lived  so 
retired  as  never  to  be  seen  in  company  with  anyone 
outside  of  his  household  and  very  rarely  in  public. 

"  There  was,  as  a  consequence,  many  opinions  given 
as  to  the  occasion  of  such  exclusiveness.  The  one  gen- 
erally and  finally  accepted  was  that  he  had  been  a  gay 
companion  of  royalty  in  his  youth,  and  that  his  leaving 
England  was  more  the  result  of  expediency  with  him 
than  choice."  Lossing's  f  account  differs  somewhat 
from  this.  He  says:  "When  the  War  of  1812  broke 
out  he  (Courtenay)  returned  thither  (to  England) 
leaving  his  furniture  and  plate,  which  were  sold  at  auc- 
tion. .  .  .  Courtenay  was  a  great  lion  in  New  York, 
for  he  was  a  handsome  bachelor,  with  title,  fortune,  and 
reputation — a  coml)ination  of  excellencies  calculated  to 

*  Who  lately  (lied  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight. 

f  "  The  Hudson  from  the  Wilderness  to  the  Sea,"  p.  388. 

133 


Old  liitildhii:;s  of  Xcxc  York  Citu 

ca])tivntc'  tlic  heart  desires  of  the  opposite  sex.  Clare- 
niont  was  the  residenee  for  a  wliile  of  Josepli  Bonaparte, 
ex-Kinr»'  of  Spain,  wlien  he  first  took  refu<^e  in  the 
Ignited  States,  after  the  battle  of  AVaterloo  and  the 
downfall  of  the  Xapoleon  dynasty.  Here  too  Francis 
, I  anus  Jackson,  the  snccessor  of  ]Mr.  Erskine,  the  Brit- 
ish ^linister  at  AVashington,  at  the  opening  of  the  War 
of  1812,  resided  a  sliort  time.  .  .  .  He  was  politically 
and  socially  nnpopidar,  and  presented  a  strong  contrast 
to  the  polished  Courtenaj^"  Courtenay  disappeared  at 
the  time  of  the  war  between  this  country  and  Great 
Britain,  after  having  greatly  embellished  the  place.  It 
has  always  been  a  tradition  in  the  Post  family  (who 
owned  the  property  for  nearly  fifty  years)  that  Courte- 
nay built  the  present  house.  In  jNIarch,  1812,  Hogan 
joined  with  the  above-named  trustees  in  conveying  the 
property  "  commonly  called  Claremont  "  to  Herman 
Le  Roy,  William  Bayard,  and  James  McEvers,  trus- 
tees. By  some  it  has  been  supposed  that  wdiile  the  legal 
title  M'as  in  trustees,  there  may  have  been  an  unrecorded 
declaration  of  trust,  by  which  Courtenay  became  the 
equitable  owner.  The  grantees  *  in  the  last-mentioned 
deed  first  leased  Claremont  and  several  years  later  sold 
it  to  Joel  Post,  February  12,  1821.  Later,  ]Mr.  Post 
(brother  of  the  distinguished  phj^sician  of  the  last  cen- 
tury. Dr.  Wright  Post,  who  also  resided  at  Claremont) 

*  It  has  been  suggested  that  these  trustees,  being  relatives,  held 
the  property  in  trust  during  the  minority  of  Gulian  C.  Verplanck, 
who  in  later  life  became  the  noted  Shakespearian  scholar. 

134 


Claremont 

purchased  the  property  adjoining  on  the  south,  JMonte 
Alto,  and  united  the  ownership  of  the  two  places,  al- 
though JNIonte  Alto  was  for  many  years  occupied  as  a 
country  seat  by  the  JNIcEvers  family.*  In  1868  the 
house  and  a  portion  of  the  place  were  acquired  by  the 
city  from  the  heirs  of  jNIr.  Post. 

It  seems  to  have  been  pretty  well  shown  that  the 
battle  of  Harlem  Heights  was  not  fought  in  this  local- 
ity. It  is  only  in  recent  years  that  JNIorningside  Heights 
have  been  spoken  of  as  Harlem  Heights.  In  conveying 
Claremont  it  is  described  as  in  Bloomingdale  and  ac- 
cording to  the  map  (Mrs.  Lamb's  "  History  of  the  City 
of  Xew  York,"  vol.  II,  p.  129)  the  westerly  line  of 
Harlem  excluded  all  INIorningside  Heights  except  a  few 
feet  at  the  base  of  the  high  ground  at  JNIanhattanville. 
The  high  ground  was  known  as  Vandewater  Heights, 
and  if  the  battle  had  taken  place  there  it  would  have 
been  known  by  that  name.  It  is  more  probable  that 
most  of  the  fighting  (which  was  Avidespread)  took  place 
at  the  base  of  the  Point  of  Rocks,  south  of  the  Convent 
of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and  also  along  the  high  ground 
to  tlie  west  and  north.  Day's  Tavern  stood  a  little  to 
the  northeast  of  the  Point  of  Rocks,  and  there  Knowlton 
and  the  Connecticut  troops  were  stationed. 

Major  Lewis  Morris,  Jr.,  wrote  to  his  father  on 
September  28th:  "  JMonday  morning  an  advanced  par- 
ty. Colonel  Knowlton's  regiment,  was  attacked  on  a 
height  a  little  to  the  southwest  of  Day's  Tavern." 

*  Miss  McEvers  married  Sir  Edward  Cunard. 

135 


Old  Jiulldini^s  of  Xnc  York  Citij 

Mornin^sidc  IIei<i^lits  would  liavc  been  considerably 
more  tlian  "  a  little  '  to  the  southwest  of  Day's  Tavern. 
The  detachment  sent  out  before  daylight  under  Knowl- 
ton  by  (xeneral  Washington  was  not  his  regiment  but 
a  small  body,  probably  a  single  company,  and  was  sent 
to  make  a  diversion  upon  the  enemy's  rear.  It  is  prob- 
able that  they  followed  the  river's  edge  as  far  south  as 
Ninety-fourth  Street,  much  below  Claremont  and  jNIorn- 
ingside  Heights.  The  actual  battle  did  not  begin  until 
late  in  the  day.  The  resolution  of  Congress  passed 
October  17,  1776,  was  "  Resolved,  That  General  Lee 
be  directed  to  repair  to  the  camp  on  the  Heights  of 
Harlem  with  leave,"  etc. 

Washington  had  no  camp  on  ]Morningside  Heights. 
His  camp  was  on  the  high  ground  between  the  Point 
of  Rocks  and  the  Harlem  River. 

Finally  "  nowhere  on  JNIanhattan  Island,  to  my 
knowledge,  beyond  the  limit  of  the  city,  have  there  been 
found  the  remains  of  so  many  English  and  Hessian 
soldiers,  as  shown  by  buttons,  cross-belt  buckles,  bay- 
onets, and  portions  of  other  arms,  as  have  been  exca- 
vated, from  time  to  time,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Trin- 
ity Cemetery.  There  could  have  been  no  fight  at  this 
point  unless  it  was  at  the  battle  of  Harlem,  while  the 
neighborhood  about  Columbia  University,  where  it  is 
claimed  the  battle  was  fought,  has  been  particularly 
free  from  all  such  evidence."  *     Claremont  is  now  a 

*  "  Tlie  Battle  of  Harlem  Heights,"  by  Thomas  Addis  Emmet, 
M.D.,  Magazine  of  American  History,  September,  I9O6. 

136 


Claremont 

public  restaurant.*     The  adding  of  the  huge  inclosed 
piazzas  has  produced  an  effect  that  is  nondescript. 

*  During  the  War  of  1812,  defenses  were  erected  in  this  section 
as  a  protection  against  anticipated  attacks  by  the  British.  Mrs. 
Lamb  says  ("  History  of  the  City  of  New  York,"  vol.  II,  p.  661): 
"  On  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  near  the  residence  of  Viscount  Cour- 
tenay,  afterwards  Earl  of  Devon,  was  a  strong  stone  tower  con- 
nected by  a  line  of  intrenchments  with  Fort  Laight."  Fort  Laight 
was  at  the  north  on  an  eminence  overlooking  Manhattanville. 


137 


Hamilton  Grange 

LEXAXDER  HAINIILTOX,  although  bom 
in  another  colony,  was  identified  with  the  city 
from  boyhood  and  married  into  a  Xew  York 
family.*  The  genuine  Xew  Yorker  seems  always  to 
have  had  a  certain  regard  for  the  memory  of  Hamilton, 
ascribable  perhaps  to  his  untimely  taking  off,  to  a  sen- 
timent of  having  been,  as  it  were,  robbed  of  the  services 
of  a  great  man,  and  to  the  strong  light  thrown  upon 
the  contrast  between  his  traits  and  those  of  his  distin- 
guished and  brilliant  antagonist. 

He  had  faults,  but  they  were  very  human  ones,  while 
those  of  his  adversary  tended  toward  the  incarnation  of 
selfishness.  His  career  is  probably  more  familiar  to  the 
people  than  that  of  any  of  the  other  characters  con- 
nected with  the  State  of  Xew  York  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary era.  The  site  of  the  house  (named  after  the 
estate  of  his  grandfather  in  Ayreshire,  Scotland)  was 
chosen  by  him  in  order  to  be  in  proximity  to  the  house 
of  his  friend,  Gouverneur  Morris,  at  Morrisania.  The 
situation  at  that  time,  like  that  of  tlie  Jumel  house, 
commanded  an  extensive  view  of  the  Hudson  and  Har- 
lem rivers  and  Long  Island  Sound.  It  was  then  about 
eight  miles  from  town,  so  that  it  was  his  habit  to  drive 

*  Mrs.  Hamilton  was  the  daughter  of  General  Philip  Schuyler. 

139 


Old  Buildings  of  Xeic  York  City 

ill  (.'xtrv  day.  It  was  not  to  this  house  that  he  was 
hrouglit  after  tlie  disastrous  event  of  July  11, 1804.  His 
friend  Wilhani  Bayard  had  received  an  intimation  of 
the  proposed  encounter,  and  was  waiting  when  the  boat 
containing  liim  reached  the  New  York  shore.  Hamil- 
ton Mas  carried  to  his  house  and  died  there  the  next 
day.  His  wife  and  children  were  with  him.  One  daugh- 
ter, overcome  by  two  such  dreadful  events  in  the  family 
within  a  short  period,  lost  her  reason.*  The  whole  city 
was  affected.  Business  was  suspended.  Indignation 
was  universal.  Burr's  followers  walked  in  the  funeral 
procession.  Talleyrand  said  of  Hamilton:  "  Je  con- 
sidere  Xapoleon,  Fox,  et  Hamilton  comme  lest  trois  plus 
grande  hommes  de  notre  epoque,  et  si  je  devais  me 
prononcer  entre  les  trois,  je  donnerais  sans  hesiter  la 
premiere  place  a  Hamilton." 

*  Some  time  before  this  his  eldest  son  had  lost  his  life  in  a  duel. 


140 


The  Jumel   House 

'S^^-^HIS  house  was  built  in  1758  by  Captain  (after- 
■  ^  J  wards  Colonel)  Roger  jNIorris  of  the  British 
^^^  army,  who  had  been  an  aide  of  General  Brad- 
dock.  31orris  married  a  daughter  of  Colonel  Philipse. 
The  Philipse  estate  embraced  a  great  part  of  the  present 
Westchester  and  Putnam  counties.  The  manor  hall 
erected  about  174>5  (the  oldest  part  probably  about 
1682)  now  constitutes  the  City  Hall  of  Yonkers.*  In 
that  house,  on  July  3,  1730,  was  born  ]Mary  Philipse, 
and  in  the  drawing-room  on  Sunday  afternoon,  Janu- 
ary 15,  1758,  she  was  married  to  Captain  Morris  by 
the  Rev.  Henry  Barclay,  rector  of  Trinity,  and  his 
assistant,  ]Mr.  Auchmuty. 

A  paper  on  "  The  Romance  of  the  Pludson,"  by 
Benson  J.  Lossing,  published  in  Harjjers  Magazine 
for  April,  1876,  gives  the  following  account  of  the  wed- 
ding: "  The  leading  families  of  the  province  and  the 
British  forces  in  America  had  representatives  there. 
The  marriage  was  solemnized  under  a  crimson  canopy 

*  This  is  one  of  the  best  examples  of  a  Colonial  manor  house 
now  standing  with  wainscoted  walls,  ornamental  ceilings,  carved 
staircase,  mantels,  etc.  The  establishment  was  a  large  one  for  the 
time,  maintaining  thirty  white  and  twenty  colored  servants. — "  Bol- 
ton's History  of  Westchester  County." 

143 


Old  Ihiildin^s  of  Xcxc  York  ('it// 

riuhhv/.ouvd  with  the  «»'(il(k'n  crest  of  the  family.  .  .  . 
Tlie  hridesmaids  were  ^Nliss  Harchiy,  Miss  Van  Cort- 
laiult,  and  ^Nliss  De  Lancey.  The  groomsmen  were  Mr. 
Heatlicote,  Captain  Kennedy,  and  Mr.  Watts.  Acting 
<TOvernor  De  I^ancey  (son-in-law  to  Colonel  Heath- 
cote,  lord  of  the  manor  of  Scarsdale)  assisted  at  the 
ceremony.  The  brothers  of  the  bride  .  .  .  gave  away 
the  bride.  .  .  .  Her  dowry  in  her  own  right  was  a 
large  domain,  plate,  jewelry,  and  money.  A  grand 
feast  followed  the  nuptial  ceremony,  and  late  on  that 
brilliant  moonlit  night  most  of  the  guests  departed. 

"  While  they  were  feasting  a  tall  Indian,  closely 
wrapped  in  a  scarlet  blanket,  appeared  at  the  door  of 
the  banquet  hall,  and  with  measured  w^ords  said :  '  Your 
possessions  shall  pass  from  you  when  the  eagle  shall 
despoil  the  lion  of  his  mane.'  He  as  suddenly  disap- 
peared. .  .  .  The  bride  pondered  the  ominous  words 
for  years  .  .  .  and  when,  because  they  were  royalists 
in  action,  the  magnificent  domain  of  the  Philipses  was 
confiscated  by  the  Americans  at  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lution, the  prophecy  and  its  fulfillment  were  mani- 
fested." * 

While  in  Xew  York  in  1756  Washington  stayed  at 
the  house  of  his  friend,  Beverly  Robinson,  who  had  mar- 
ried a  sister  of  Miss  Philipse,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  her  charms  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him,  but 
there  is  no  evidence  that  she  refused  him. 

After  the  Revolution  Colonel  Philipse  withdrew  to 

*  "  Bolton's  History  of  Westchester  County,"  vol.  II. 

144 


The  Jiimel  House 

Chester,  England,  died  there  in  1785,  and  was  buried 
in  Chester  Cathedral,  where  there  is  a  monument  to 
his  memory.  Some  of  his  descendants  are  now  living 
in  England,  as  well  as  descendants  of  Colonel  and  JNlrs. 
JNIorris.  "  A  part  of  the  Philipse  estate  was  in  posses- 
sion of  Colonel  JNIorris  in  right  of  his  wife,  and  that 
the  whole  interest  should  pass  under  the  (confiscation) 
act,  Mrs.  JNIorris  was  included  in  the  attainder."  *  It 
is  believed  that  Mrs.  JNIorris  and  her  sisters  were  the 
only  women  attainted  of  treason  during  the  Revolution. 
"  In  1787  the  Attorney  General  of  England  examined 
the  case  and  gave  the  opinion  that  the  reversionary  in- 
terest was  not  included  in  the  attainder,"  and  was  recov- 
erable, and  in  the  year  1809  JNIrs.  JNIorris's  son.  Captain 
Henry  Gage  JNIorris,  of  the  royal  navy,  in  behalf  of 
himself  and  his  two  sisters,  sold  their  reversionary  inter- 
est to  John  Jacob  Astor  for  twenty  thousand  pounds 
sterling.  In  1828  JNIr.  Astor  made  a  compromise  with 
the  State  of  Xew  York  by  which  he  received  for  these 
rights  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  with  the  under- 
standing that  he  should  execute  a  deed  with  warranty 

*  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  the  manorial  families  of  the 
province  held  various  sentiments  regarding  the  relations  with  the 
mother  country.  Families  like  those  of  Philipse  and  De  Lancey 
were  loyal  to  the  crown  and  lost  everything.  Others,  like  those  of 
Livingston  and  Schuyler,  espoused  the  cause  of  the  "  rebels  "  or 
"  patriots."  Again,  there  was  a  third  class,  embracing  families 
like  those  of  Van  Cortlandt  and  Morris,  that  had  representatives 
on  either  side.  The  Patroon,  being  a  minor,  was  legally  incapable 
of  choosing  and  saved  his  vast  estate. 

147 


Old  Buildin^iis  of  Xcic  York  City 

against  tlic  claiins  ol'  tlic  Morris  I'aiiiily,  in  order  to  quiet 
the  title  of  tlie  numerous  persons  who  had  bought  from 
the  commissioners  of  forfeitures.     This  he  did. 

In  1810  tlie  property  was  bought  by  Stephen  Jumel, 
a  wealthy  French  merchant.  There  he  entertained 
Louis  Philippe,  Lafayette,  Joseph  Bonaparte,  Louis 
Xapoleon,  and  Henry  Clay.  After  Jumel's  death  it 
came  into  the  possession  of  his  widow.  Aaron  Burr,  in 
his  old  age,  married  ^Madame  Jmiiel.  After  he  had 
made  a^^•ay  with  a  good  deal  of  her  money,  she  got  rid 
of  him.  He  withdrew  to  other  fields  of  action  and  died 
somewhere  on  Staten  Island. 

During  the  Revolution  Washington  had  his  head- 
quarters here  from  September  16  to  October  21,  1776, 
and  revisited  it,  accompanied  by  his  cabinet,  July,  1790. 

The  house  is  now  in  the  control  of  the  Department 
of  Parks  and  is  shown  to  the  public. 


148 


Gracie  House— East  River  Park 

RCHIBALD  GRACIE,  a  native  of  Dumfries, 
Scotland,  of  an  old  Scotch  family,  came  to  this 
country  about  the  time  of  the  close  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  and  established  himself  as  a  mer- 
chant. He  became  one  of  the  largest  if  not  the  largest 
ship  owner  in  the  country,  his  ships  visiting,  it  is  said, 
every  port  in  the  world.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest 
character.  Oliver  Wolcott  said  of  him:  "  He  was  one 
of  the  excellent  of  the  earth,  actively  liberal,  intelligent, 
seeking  and  rejoicing  in  occasions  to  do  good."  Wash- 
ington Irving  wrote  (January,  1813)  :  "  Their  (the 
Grades' )  country  place  was  one  of  my  strongholds  last 
simimer.  It  is  a  charming,  warm-hearted  family  and 
the  old  gentleman  has  the  soul  of  a  prince."  ^Ir.  Gracie 
lost  greatly  as  a  result  of  the  Berlin  and  JNIilan  decrees, 
over  a  million  dollars,  it  is  said.  It  is  believed  that 
he  was  the  largest  holder  of  the  celebrated  "  French 
Claims,"  *  which  Congress  with  outrageous  persistence 
refused  or  neglected  to  pay  for  generations.  He  mar- 
ried Esther,  daughter  of  Samuel  Rogers  and  EHzabeth 

*  The  Government  of  France  had  certain  claims  against  this 
Government.  An  agreement  was  made  to  release  these  claims  upon 
the  ex))ress  consideration  that  the  United  States  woidd  ])ay  Hieir 
own  citizens  the  claims  that  they  had  against  France. 

151 


Old  Jiiiildinii's  of  \i-iC   York  ('if// 

l''iti'li.   (hiiii^htci-  of   'I'lioiiKis    l"'itc'h.   (iovci-iior  of  Con- 
ntrtic'iit. 

'i'lui-(.'  was  ;m  old  lioiiso  at  (ii-ac'ie\s  Point  belonging;' 
to  Mrs.  Prevoost,  and  this  he  either  altered  and  enlarged 
or  else  removed  entirely  and  built  the  present  structure, 
but  at  what  time  it  is  not  known.  In  the  year  1805 
Josiah  Quiney  was  entertained  there  at  dinner.  He 
describes  enthusiastically  the  situation,  overlooking  the 
then  terribly  turbulent  waters  of  Hell  Gate.  He  said: 
"  The  sliores  of  Long  Island,  full  of  cultivated  pros- 
pects and  interspersed  with  elegant  country  seats,  bound 
the  distant  view.  The  mansion  is  elegant  in  the  modern 
style  and  the  gromids  laid  out  in  taste  with  gardens."  * 
Among  the  guests  at  that  dinner  were  Oliver  Wolcott^ 
Judge  Pendleton,  Hamilton's  second,  and  Dr.  Hosack^ 
who  later  married  INIrs.  Coster. 

William  Gracie,  the  eldest  son,  married  the  beauti- 
ful jNIiss  Wolcott,  daughter  of  Oliver  Wolcott,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury  under  Washington.  A  great  re- 
ception was  given  by  ]Mr.  and  iNIrs.  Archibald  Gracie 
to  the  bride  at  this  house.  All  the  bridesmaids,  grooms- 
men,- and  a  large  company  w^ere  assembled  when  the 
bride  died  suddenly  of  heart  disease.  His  daughter 
Hester  was  married  in  the  parlor  of  the  house  to  Will- 
iam Beach  Law^rence,  afterwards  Governor  of  Rhode 
Island.  Another  daughter  married  James  Gore  King^ 
the  eminent  banker,  and  another  Charles  King,  after- 
wards president  of  Columbia  College,  both  being  sons 

*  Mrs.  Lamb's  "  Historj^  of  the  City  of  New  York." 

152 


Grade  House — East  River  Park 

of  Riifus  King  of  Revolutionary  fame.  On  one  occa- 
sion during  the  Xapoleonic  wars,  a  French  vessel  was 
chased  by  an  English  frigate  into  the  neutral  harbor 
of  New  York.  Tlie  Englishman  lay  in  the  lower  bay 
ready  to  attack  the  Frenchman  when  he  should  return 
through  the  Xarrows.  Being  sure  of  his  prize  he  was 
off  his  guard.  The  French  captain,  taking  a  skillful 
pilot,  slipped  up  the  East  River,  a  feat  believed  im- 
])ossible  for  so  large  a  vessel.  In  rounding  Gracie's 
Point  a  sailor  on  a  yardarm  was  swept  from  his  perch 
by  the  overhanging  branches  of  a  great  elm  that  was 
standing  on  the  lawn  as  late  as  1880.  With  wonderful 
agility,  the  sailor  seized  the  limbs  and  swinging  from 
one  to  another  reached  the  trunk,  down  which  he  slid 
to  the  ground.  Charles  King,  calling  to  the  French- 
man, rushed  to  the  other  side  of  the  Point,  put  him  in 
his  boat  and  followed  the  man-of-war,  although  it  had 
then  swung  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Ry 
skillful  management  he  reached  the  vessel  and  the  sailor 
scrambled  aboard.  Anyone  who  remembers  the  waters 
of  Hell  Gate  before  the  rocky  bottom  was  blown  u]) 
by  the  Government  will  admit  that  INIr.  King  did  some 
vigorous  rowing.  The  man-of-war  esca])cd  by  way  of 
the  Sound,  much  to  the  cliagrin  of  the  Enghsli. 

Many  distinguished  ])eople  were  entertained  in  lliis 
house.  When  I^ouis  Philippe  was  liere  in  exik-  he  was 
invited  to  dine  witli  ^Nlrs.  Gracie.  Tlie  cai-riage  and 
four  were  sent  to  town  to  bring  the  royal  visitor,  and 
when  he  arrived  the  family  were  assembkd  to  receive 

1  .>.S 


old  liniliHui!;.s  of  \cic   Vorli    ('it// 

him.  One  of  tlic  little  «>irl.s  exclaimed  aloud,  "  That  is 
not  the  king*,  he  has  no  crown  on  his  head,"  at  which 
the  <>uest  laughed  good-naturedly  and  said:  "  In  these 
days,  kings  are  satisfied  with  wearing  their  heads  with- 
out crowns."  An  early  picture  shows  an  ornamental 
balustrade  on  the  roof  of  the  house  and  also  on  that 
of  the  piazza,  relieving  the  present  rather  bare  appear- 
ance. 


154 


jcr"'^^**S^^**s 


BOROUGH  OF  THE  BRONX 


e 


The  Gouverneur  Morris  House  * 

'OUVERXEUR  ]MORRIS  was  one  of  the  most 
interesting  characters  of  the  Revohitionary 
era,  interesting  because  he  had  an  individual- 
ity that  distinguished  him  from  the  other  worthies  of 
the  time.  Though  crippled, f  his  versatility  and  activity 
of  mind  and  body  were  very  great.  An  orator  of  the 
first  rank,  when  but  a  few  years  past  his  majority  he 
swayed  the  Continental  Congress  with  his  views  upon 
matters  of  finance,  a  subject  for  which  he  had  an  espe- 
cial aptitude  throughout  his  career.  Resolving,  when 
a  young  man,  to  be  the  first  lawyer  in  the  land,  he 
became  so.  By  reason  of  his  connections,  his  education 
and  abilities,  during  his  long  stay  abroad  he  associated 
on  intimate  terms  M-ith  a  vast  number  of  the  most  influ- 
ential personages  living  at  the  time.  The  unfortunate 
King  and  Queen  of  France  sought  his  advice  and  aid 
in  their  trou])les,  as  did  Lafayette  and  many  otliers. 

*  Tliis  picture  is  from  a  sketcli  by  permission  of  tlie  New  York 
Herald. 

f  ^Miile  living  in  Philadelphia  during  tlie  war  lie  was  thrown 
from  liis  carriage  in  trying  to  control  a  pair  of  runaway  horses. 
The  accident  necessitated  the  amputation  of  a  leg. 

1.57 


Old  liiiildiiiiis  of  Xcxc   VorJi   Cit// 

Ilis  diary  |)iil)lislu'(l  in  188H  (now  out  of  print), 
writtin  in  Paris  (lniin<»'  the  early  days  of  the  French 
l{e\ ohilion.  although  evidently  for  his  own  use,  is 
eoniparahle  with  those  other  letters  and  memoirs  of  the 
eighteenth  century  when  writing  of  the  sort  was  culti- 
vated as  a  fine  art. 

His  father's  will  states:  "It  is  my  desire  that  my 
son,  Cxouverneur  ]\lorris.  may  have  the  best  education 
that  is  to  be  had  in  England  or  America."  Great  pains 
"Were  taken  that  this  should  be  carried  out,  so  that  he 
should  be  fitted  for  any  career  that  might  open  to  him.* 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Xew 
York,  in  1775,  "  serving  on  the  various  committees  with 
such  well-balanced  judgment  as  to  command  the  respect 
of  men  of  twice  his  age  and  experience."  Twice  elected 
to  the  Continental  Congress,  he  was  a  chairman  of  three 
committees  for  carrying  on  the  war,t  wrote  contin- 
ually on  all  subjects,  especially  that  of  finance,  and 
at  the  same  time  practiced  law,  doing  all  this  before 
he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  ag^e.  After  five  years 
of  de^'otion  to  public  affairs,  he  became  a  citizen  of 
Philadelphia  and  settled  down  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession. 

In  1787,  as  a  delegate  from  Pennsylvania,  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  convention  which  met  to  frame  the  Fed- 
eral Constitution.  He  had  been  connected  in  certain 
financial  ventures  with  William  Constable  of  Xew  York, 

*  Diary^  p.  2. 

f  Commissary's,  Quartermaster's,  and  Medical  Departments. 

158 


The  Gouvcnu'ur  Morris  House 

which  had  been  eminently  successful,  and  in  Xovember, 
1 788,  led  partly  by  matters  relating  to  these  and  partly 
by  the  desire  to  travel,  he  decided  to  visit  France.  His 
life  on  the  other  side  became  so  crowded  with  interesting 
and  important  events  that  this  visit  was  prolonged  far 
beyond  his  intention.  It  was  ten  years  before  he  re- 
turned. He  was  furnished  by  AVashington  ^vith  letters 
to  j^ersons  in  England,  France,  and  Holland.  He  was 
present  at  the  assembling  of  the  States-General  at  Ver- 
sailles, whicli  has  been  called  the  "  first  day  of  the  French 
Revolution,"  and  from  that  time  on  was  au  fait  with 
all  the  important  events  of  that  exciting  peri(xl.  At 
times  he  was  in  almost  daily  communication  with  the 
Duchess  of  Orleans,  ]Madame  de  Stael,  Talleyrand,  and 
hosts  of  others  equally  important. 

He  was  soon  recognized  as  applying  a  clear  brain 
to  the  solution  of  any  important  question  submitted  to 
him,  and  we  find  him  writing  a  memoir  for  the  guidance 
of  the  king  and  the  draught  of  a  speech  to  be  delivered 
before  the  Xational  Assembly.  The  ^lonciel  scheme, 
usually  mentioned  in  the  biographies  of  ^NToi-ris,  was  a 
well-conceived  ])lan  to  get  the  king  out  of  Paris.  Mon- 
ciel,  one  of  the  ministry,  consulted  ]Morris  as  to  the 
details  of  the  plan,  and  the  king  deposited  with  him 
his  papei-s  and  the  sum  of  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  thousand  francs.  Everything  was  discreetly  ar- 
ranged and  success  nearly  assured  when,  on  the  morning 
fixed  for  the  king's  departure,  lie  changed  his  mind  and 
refused  to  budge.    I^ater  tlie  money  was  nearly  all  with- 

159 


old  Jiiiildiii^^s  of  Xcxc   Vorh-  ('if// 

drawn.  ka\  ini>'  a  small  halaiifc  in  Morris's  lumds  which 
lie  returned  to  the  Duehess  dWnyoulenie.* 

In  17H1)  W'asjiinutoii  had  \vi-itten  liini  a  letter  re- 
■questintJ'  him  to  visit  Knt>land  and  endeavor  to  facihtate 
the  earryin**'  out  of  tlie  terms  of  tlie  treaty  l)etween  the 
two  countries,  hut  the  Kn<>lish  <^"overnint>'  class  at  that 
day  liad  no  desire  to  facilitate  anythin<>-  in  which  this 
country  was  interested.  He  had  many  interviews  with 
Leeds  and  Pitt,  but  was  always  met  with  a  pohcy  of 
vagueness,  postponement,  and  unhmited  delay,  so  that 
he  accomphslied  httle.  It  Avas  partly  on  this  account 
that  when  AVashington  nominated  him  as  ^Minister  to 
France  in  1791,  the  nomination  was  opposed.  His  views 
also  regarding  the  condition  of  France  were  well  known. 
He  did  not  deem  that  country  fitted  for  a  radical  change 
of  government  nor  for  the  development  of  the  wild 
theories  of  government  that  were  there  rampant. t     The 

*  A  laconic  entry  in  the  diary  gives  a  hint  as  to  the  life  of 
terror  Avhich  the  ill-fated  family  were  leading:  "  Go  to  court  this 
morning  (August  5th).  Nothing  remarkable,  only  they  were  up 
all  night  expecting  to  be  murdered." — Diar}',  p.  569- 

f  yi.  Esmein  quotes  Taine:  "  Quatre  observateurs,  ecrit  Hip- 
polyte  Taine,  ont  des  le  debut,  compris  le  caractere  et  la  portee  de 
la  Revolution  fran9aise — Rivarol,  ^lalouet.  Gouverneur  Morris  et 
Mallet  du  Pan,  celui — ci  plus  profondement  que  les  autres;  .  .  ." 
but  Esmein  says  "  contre  I'auteur  illustre  et  respecte  des  Orighies 
de  la  France  contemporaine,  j'oserais  revendiquer  pour  Gouverneur 
Morris,  la  plupart  des  titres  qu'il  reconnait  k  Mallet  du  Pan." 
("  Gouverneur  Morris,  un  temoin  American  de  la  revolution  Fran- 
^aise,"  by  A.  Esmein,  membre  de  I'lnstitut,  Paris,  1906.) 

160 


The  Gouverneur  Morris  House 

sanity  of  these  views  was  proved  by  subsequent  events, 
but  many  senators  did  not  regard  him  as  suitable  to 
represent  this  repubUc.  He  was,  however,  confirmed  by 
a  moderate  majority.  He  continued  to  be  INIinister  un- 
til Genet  was  recalled  at  the  request  of  Washington. 
Then  France  requested  his  recall  on  the  ground  of 
"  reciprocity." 

Monroe  arrived  in  Paris  in  August,  1794.  Morris 
intended  to  return,  but  changed  his  plans  and  decided 
to  spend  another  year  in  Europe  visiting  some  of  the 
principal  courts  and  traveling  *  through  various  coun- 
tries, but  events  were  so  interesting  and  produced  so 
much  stir  and  excitement  that  it  was  fully  four  years 
before  he  returned. 

While  in  England  he  was  presented  at  court,  No- 
vember 25,  1795.t  Finally  in  October,  1798,  he  sent 
his  steward  to  New  York  with  all  his  "  books,  liquors, 

*  "  Partout  ou  il  a  porte  ses  pas,  en  Angleterre  coninie  dans 
I'Europe  continentale,  il  etait  accueilli  avec  une  faveur  marquee 
par  les  hommes  d'Etat  les  plus  en  vue;  les  ministres  en  charge, 
les  ambassadeurs  les  plus  influents,  le  consultaient  voluntiers  et  le 
renseignaient  en  meme  temps. 

"  II  a  su  reeueillir  partout  des  information  abondantes  et  sure, 
et  ires  souvent  ses  predictions  se  realisaient.  .  .  .  Voici  le  compli- 
ment que  lui  adressait  le  2  Juillet,  1790,  ]SI.  de  la  I.uzernc,  am- 
bassadeur  de  France  a  Londres — '  vous  dites  toujours  dcs  chose 
extraordinaires  qui  se  realisent '  "   {idem). 

f  The  king:  "  Pray,  Mr.  Morris,  wliat  i)art  of  Aiiurica  are  you 
from?"  Morris:  "I  am  from  near  New  York,  sir.  I  Iiavc  a 
brother  who  has  the  honor  to  be  a  lieutenant  general  in  your  Maj- 

161 


Old  niiildin^s  of  Xcxv  York  Citij 

linens,  i'lirniturc,  ])latc  and  carria^i^es,"  and  soon  after 
followed  hinisell'. 

On  his  mother's  death  in  1786,  the  estate  of  Mor- 
risania  devolved  on  his  eldest  brother,  Staats  INIorris; 
but  he.  havint»'  no  intention  of  living"  in  this  eountry, 
willingly  sold  it  to  him,  including  his  father's  house,  in 
which  he  was  born.  The  house  he  found  in  poor  con- 
dition, and  at  once  set  about  the  task  of  repairing  and 
adding  to  it.  After  its  restoration,  he  settled  there,  and 
for  the  rest  of  his  life  the  house  became  the  scene  of  a 
continuous  hospitality,  not  only  to  the  most  eminent 
Americans  of  the  day,  but  to  nearly  every  foreigner  of 
distinction  that  came  to  this  country. 

He  was  elected  a  United  States  Senator  and  was 
always  interested  in  public  affairs.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  the  originator  of  the  Erie  Canal.  In  December, 
1809,  he  married  Miss  Randolph  of  Virginia.  In  JNIay, 
1804,  he  was  present  at  the  deathbed  of  his  friend, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  and  later  delivered  the  funeral 
oration. 

Sparks*  says:  "The  plan  of  his  house  conformed 

esty's  service."  The  king:  "  Eh  !  wliat !  You're  a  brother  of  General 
Morris?     Yes,  I  think  I  see  a  likeness,  but  you're  much  younger." 

Diary,  vol.  II,  p.  135.  Some  years  prior  to  the  Revolution, 
his  elder  brother,  Staats  Morris,  had  married  the  Duchess  of  Gor- 
don and  was  a  lieutenant  general  in  the  British  army.  He  was 
the  first  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Eighty-ninth  Regiment  of  High- 
landers, the  duke  being  a  captain,  and  his  brothers,  lieutenant  and 
ensign. 

*  "  Life  of  Morris,"  vol.  I,  p.  477. 

162 


The  Gouverneur  Morris  House 

to  a  French  model,  and  though  spacious  and  well  con- 
trived was  suited  rather  for  convenience  and  perhaps 
splendor  within  than  for  a  show  of  architectiu*al  mag- 
nificence Avithout."  To  a  friend  he  wrote:  "  I  have  a 
terrace  roof  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,*  to 
^^'hich  I  go  out  by  a  side  or  rather  back  door,  and  from 
which  I  enjoy  one  of  the  finest  prospects  while  breath- 
ing the  most  salubrious  air  in  the  world."  The  parquet 
floors  of  all  the  rooms  were  brought  from  France.  The 
hbrary,  wainscoted  and  ceiled  with  Dutch  cherry  panels, 
also  imported,  was  in  the  early  days  hmig  with  white 
and  gold  tapestry.  The  room  contained  the  mahogany 
desk,  still  preserved,  trimmed  with  brass  (said  to  have 
been  a  present  from  one  of  the  royal  family),  at  which 
he  carried  on  his  correspondence  with  so  many  dis- 
tinguished personages,  correspondence  often  relat- 
ing to  loans  of  money  to  the  Duchess  of  Orleans, 
Madame  de  Lafayette,  Louis  Philippe,  and  liundreds 
of  others. 

The  reception  room,  twenty-two  by  thirty  feet  and 
fourteen  feet  high,  was  also  a  paneled  room  with  mir- 
rors set  in  the  wall  in  the  French  style.  It  contained 
a  number  of  pieces  of  gilt  furniture,  originally  covered 
with  white  silk  embroidered  in  gold,  with  designs  from 
Boucher  which  he  had  brought  with  him  from  France. 
The  dining  room  of  peculiar  shape  (a  half  octagon) 
was  paneled  in  dark  Avood  and  contained  a  curious  re- 
minder of  life  dui'ing  lievoliilionary  days,  a  dumbwaiter 

*  Diary,  vol.    [I,   p.    IIS. 


Old  nuildin^s  of  Xcrc   York  (It// 

phurd    mar  each    outst   so   that   servants   need   not  be 
admit ti'd  to  overhear  the  conversation.* 

Morris  died  on  November  0,  1816,  in  the  room  in 
which  lie  was  born.  iVhnost  tlie  last  letter  he  wrote  was 
to  plead  with  the  Federal  Party  to  "  forget  party  and 
think  of  our  country.  That  country  embraces  both  par- 
ties. We  must  endeavor  therefore  to  save  and  benefit 
both."  What  statesman  to-day  would  put  forth  such 
a  sentiment  (  f 

*  "  The  Homes  of  America,"  p.  II9. 

I  The  house  was  taken  down  in  1905  to  make  way  for  the  tracks 
of  tlie  New  York  &  New  Haven  Railroad  Company. 


164 


Van  Cortland t  House 

'^^^-^HE  property  on  which  the  house  stands  belonged 
€  J  in  the  seventeenth  century  to  the  Hon.  Fred- 
^^^  erick  Phihpse  and  was  sold  by  him  in  the  year 
1(399  to  his  son-in-law,  Jacobus  Van  Cortlandt,  who  had 
married  his  daughter  Eva.  The  house  was  built  in  1748 
bj'  Frederick  Van  Cortlandt,  only  son  of  Jacobus,  who 
married  Frances  Jay,  daughter  of  Augustus  Jay,  the 
Huguenot.  His  will,  dated  October  2,  1749,  states: 
"  Whereas  I  am  now  finishing  a  large  stone  dwelling 
house  on  the  plantation  in  A\hich  I  now  live,  which  with 
the  same  plantation  will,  by  virtue  of  my  deceased  fa- 
ther's will,  devolve,  after  my  decease,  upon  my  eldest 
son,  James,"  etc.* 

During  the  Revolutionary  AVar  the  neighborhood 
was  constantly  the  scene  of  conflicts.  Wasliington  vis- 
ited the  house  in  1781,  and  on  the  hill  to  the  north 
disposed  part  of  his  army,  which  liglited  cam])  fires  while 
lie  was  quietly  withdrawing  the  rest  of  his  troops  to 
join  Lafayette  before  Yorktown.  There  was  a  bloody 
engagement  near  the  house  on  August  31,  1778,  be- 
tween the  British,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Siincoe, 
and  a  body  of  Stockbridge  Indians.  Tlie  Indians 
fouglit  witli  great  ])ravery  and  desperation,  dragging 
*  Surrogate's  Office,  New  York,  fol.  XVIII,  62. 

167 


OhJ  Buildings  of  Xcrc  YorJx   Citij 

tlie  ca\alrvin(.'n  from  their  horses,  but  were  ultimately 
dispersed,  tlieir  chief  beiug  killed.* 

Washington  slept  here  the  night  before  the  evacua- 
tion of  the  city  by  the  British,  November  25,  1785.  The 
estate  has  been  bought  by  the  city  and  is  now  known 
as  Van  Cortlandt  Park.  It  contains  1,070  acres.  There 
is  a  lake  covering  sixty  acres  and  a  parade  ground  for 
the  National  Guard  on  a  level  meadow  of  120  acres. 

The  house  is  used  as  a  museum  and  is  crowded  with 
interesting  relics. 

*  "  Bolton's  History  of  Westchester  County,"  vol.  II.  p.  622. 


168 


BOROUGH  OF  QUEENS 

The  Bowne  House — Flushing 

'S^^-^HIS  house  was  built  in  1661  by  John  Bowne, 
£  J  ^  native  of  ^Matlock,  Derbyshire,  England,  in 
^^^  whose  church  he  was  baptized  in  the  year  1627. 
About  1672  George  Fox,  founder  of  the  sect  of  Quakers 
or  Friends,  visited  Flushing  and  held  meetings  there. 
Bowne's  wife  *  frequently  attended  the  meetings,  and 
after  a  time  joined  the  sect.  As  a  result  of  this,  Quakers 
were  often  entertained  at  the  house.  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant  had  Bowne  arrested  for  "  harboring  Quakers,"  and 
he  was  thro\\Ti  into  jail.  Prior  to  this  Henry  Town- 
send,  of  Oyster  Bay,  had  been  subjected  to  the  same 
treatment.  Bowne,  being  a  man  of  considerable  inde- 
pendence, remained  obdurate.  He  was  then  banished 
to  Holland.  He  presented  his  case  to  the  Dutch  West 
India  Company  in  such  a  manner  that  he  was  returned 
in  a  special  ship  with  the  following  rebuke  to  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Councils  of  the  Xew  Xetherlands,  1(563:  "  We 
finally  did  see  from  your  last  letter  you  had  exiled  and 
transported  hither  a  certain  Quaker  named  Jolm  Bowne, 
and  although  it  is  our  cordial  desire  that  similar  and 
otlier  sectarians  might  not  be  found  there,  yet,  as  the 
contrary  seems  to  be  the  fact,  we  doubt  very  much  if 

*  Daughter  of  Lieutenant  Robert  Feake,  patentee  of  Greenwieli. 
Conn.,  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  niece  of  John  Winthrop. 

171 


Old  liuilditiiis  of  Xcxc   York  Citif 

\ii>() rolls  proceedings  a<>ainst  them  ought  not  to  be  dis- 
continued, except  you  intend  to  check  and  destroy  your 
popuhition,  which,  however,  in  the  youth  of  your  exist- 
ence ought  rather  to  be  encouraged  by  all  j)ossible 
means,  wherefore  it  is  our  opinion  that  some  connivance 
would  be  useful  that  the  conscience  of  men,  at  least, 
ought  ever  to  remain  free  and  unshackled. 

"  Let  everyone  be  unmolested  as  long  as  he  is  mod- 
est, as  long  as  his  conduct,  in  a  political  sense,  is  irre- 
proachable, as  long  as  he  does  not  disturb  others  or 
oppose  the  Government."  Signed,  "  The  Directors  of 
the  West  India  Company,  Amsterdam  Department." 

The  house  has  always  remained  in  the  possession  of 
the  descendants  of  the  first  owner.  House  and  furni- 
ture are  in  a  good  state  of  preservation;  they  are  in 
charge  of  a  caretaker  and  shown  to  visitors. 


BOROUGH  OF  RICHMOND 

The  Billop  House 

fiOR  more  than  a  century  Staten  Island  was  prac- 
tically in  the  control  of  the  Billop  family. 
The  Billops  for  several  generations  had  led 
active  and  valiant  careers  in  the  service  of  tlie  sover- 
eign. One,  James,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  is  said  to 
have  won  the  friendship  of  Queen  Elizabeth  by  risking 
his  own  life  in  order  to  save  hers.  They  had  favors 
also  from  the  Stuart  line. 

Christopher,  born  in  1638,  received  a  naval  training 
by  command  of  Charles  I.  He  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain and  made  important  and  adventurous  voj^ages,  in 
one  of  which  he  was  wounded,  captured  by  Tiu'kish 
pirates  and  abandoned,  to  be  later  rescued  by  a  passing 
ship.  In  1667,  Mhether  by  order  of  Charles  II  or  on 
his  own  account  it  is  not  known,  he  sailed  from  Eng- 
land in  his  vessel,  the  Bentley,  and  came  cruising  in 
the  ^\'aters  of  the  New  Netherlands.  The  tradition  is 
that  the  Duke  of  York,  to  determine  the  ownership  of 
the  islands  in  the  bay,  decided  that  any  island  tliat  could 
be  circumna\'igated  in  twenty-four  hours  bek)nged  to 
the  province  of  New  York,  and  Billop,  having  proved 
that  Staten  Island  was  so  included  by  sailing  around  it 

175 


old  Buildini^s  of  Xcic   Vorh'  ('it if 

in  the  rc(jiiirt'(l  time,  was  presented  witli  1,1()8  acres  in 
the  scnithern  part  of  the  ishnul.  On  tliis  tract  he  bnilt 
in  1()(>8  the  stone  house  here  presented.  The  stones  and 
hiniher  were  obtained  in  the  vicinity,  but  the  cement 
was  brou<>'ht  from  Kngland  and  tlie  bricks  from  Bel- 
gium. 

In  the  early  records  his  name  appears  as  showing" 
tluit  lie  had  several  public  positions,  but  apart  from  that 
little  is  known  about  him  except  that  he  held  a  military 
command  and  had  a  controversy  with  Governor  Andros 
to  his  disadvantage  at  first,  but  later  he  succeeded  in 
having  the  governor  recalled  to  England. 

In  the  year  1700  he  sailed  for  England  in  the 
Be  title  I/,  but  was  never  heard  of  again.  By  some 
writers  it  is  thought  that  he  was  ordered  back,  inas- 
much a.s  a  pension  was  assigned  to  his  widow  by  the 
king.  Captain  Billop  married  a  JNIiss  Farmer,  sister 
of  a  Supreme  Court  judge  in  the  neighboring  province 
of  Xew  Jersey.  They  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  who 
married  her  cousin,  Thomas  Farmer,  and  he,  succeed- 
ing to  the  manor  of  Bentley,  changed  his  name  to 
Billop.  Both  died  young  and  their  tombstones  are  to 
be  seen  at  the  house  to-day.  Christopher  Billop,  their 
only  son,  born  1735,  was  a  prominent  man  in  public 
affairs  throughout  his  life.  In  the  Revolution  he  was 
intensely  loyal  to  the  crown,  and  became  a  colonel  in 
the  British  army.  Twice  he  w^as  captured.  The  New 
Jersc}'  colonists  w^ere  especially  bitter  tow  ard  him,  and 
once  by  keeping  men  stationed  in  the  steeple  of  St.  Pe- 

176 


The  BiUop  House 

ter's  Church  at  Perth  Amboy  they  observed  him  going 
into  his  house.  Immediately  they  took  boats,  crossed 
the  river  and  made  him  prisoner.  By  order  of  Ehsha 
Boudinot  (Com.  Pris.  of  New  Jersey)  he  was  thrown 
into  jail  at  Burlington,  hands  and  feet  chained  to  the 
floor  and  fed  only  on  bread  and  w^ater.  Here  his  com- 
panion in  cajjtivity  was  I^ieutenant  Colonel  Simcoe  of 
the  Queen's  Rangers,  probably  the  same  Simcoe  who 
was  in  the  engagement  near  the  Van  Cortlandt  house. 
Billop  was  exchanged  for  a  captain  who  had  been  on 
the  prison  ship.  The  second  time  he  was  taken  he  was 
released  by  Washington  at  the  solicitation  of  Lord 
Howe,  commander  in  chief  of  the  British  forces. 

After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  Howe  thought  it 
an  opportune  time  to  offer  favorable  terms  to  the  col- 
onists if  they  were  willing  to  lay  down  their  arms.  Ac- 
cordingly he  dispatched  General  Sullivan  (then  a  pris- 
oner) to  Congress  requesting  them  to  send  a  committee 
to  negotiate.  This  committee,  composed  of  Benjamin 
Frankhn,  Edward  Kutledge,  and  John  Adams,  met 
Howe  at  the  Billop  house.  "  Along  the  sloping  lawn 
in  front  of  the  house,  long  lines  of  troo])s  tliat  formed 
the  very  flower  of  the  British  army  were  drawn  up  be- 
tween which  the  distinguished  commander  escoited  his 
no  less  distinguished  guests."  *  The  conference  was  held 
in  the  northwest  room  on  the  ground  floor.  It  resulted 
in  nothing,  the  colonists  i-efusing  to  accede  to  any  tei-ms 
not  involving  their  inde])endence.     About  ITHIJ-H-t  Hil- 

*  Morris 's   "  M(iii<)ri;il    History   ot    Stattii    Isl.iiul.  ' 

177 


old  liiiildiniiis  of  Xcic   Vork  ('it// 

lop  \\  itlulrcw  to  Xcw  l^runswick,  and  joined  that  army 
of  estimable  persons  who,  despoiled  of  their  possessions, 
wei^e  driven  from  the  land  for  their  loyalty  to  their 
kino-.  There  for  years  he  held  prominent  offiees  in  the 
.Vssemhly  and  in  the  Conneil  and  died  at  St.  John, 
^Nlareh  2.*}.  1827,  at  the  age  of  ninety-two.  At  his 
fiiiieral  the  highest  honors  of  the  town  were  paid  to 
his  memory. 

Billop  was  evidently  a  complete  type  of  the  country 
gentleman  and  tory  squire.  According  to  JNIr.  ]Morris, 
in  his  "  ^lemorial  History  of  Staten  Island,"  the  fol- 
lowing description  of  him  was  given  by  a  friend: 
"  Christopher  Billoj^  was  a  very  tall,  soldierly  looking 
man  in  his  prime.  He  was  exceedingly  proud  and  his 
pride  led  him  at  times  to  the  verge  of  haughtiness.  Yet 
he  A\'as  kind-hearted,  not  only  to  those  he  considered 
his  equals,  but  to  his  slaves  as  well  as  to  the  poor  people 
of  the  island.  No  one  went  from  his  door  at  the  old 
manor  hungry.  It  was  his  custom  to  gather  the  people 
of  the  island  once  a  year  on  the  lawn  in  front  of  his 
house  and  hold  a  '  harvest  home.'  .  .  .  Passionately 
fond  of  horses,  his  stable  was  filled  with  the  finest  bred 
animals  in  the  land.  He  A\'as  a  magnificent  rider  and 
was  very  fond  of  the  saddle.  He  was  an  expert  shot 
^\•it]l  the  pistol,  w^hich  once  saved  his  life  when  he  was 
attacked  by  robbers.  Christopher  Billop  was  not  a  man 
to  take  advice  unless  it  instantly  met  with  his  favor. 
.  .  .  Lifelong  friends  pleaded  with  him  to  join  the  cause 
of  independence  at  the  commencement  of  the  Revolu- 

178 


The  Billop  House 

tion,  but  he  cliose  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  royalty.  He 
was  a  good  citizen,  a  noble  man!  " 

Before  the  Revolution  the  house  was  noted  for  its 
hospitality  and  gayety  in  the  Colonial  society  of  the 
day.  The  owner  entertained  lavishly  and  at  the  time 
of  the  war  he  received  there  Generals  Howe,  Clinton, 
Knyphausen,  Cleveland,  Cornwallis,  Burgoyne,  and 
many  others.  The  interior  of  the  house  is  extremely 
plain.  Presumably  in  the  year  1668  the  house  decora- 
tor had  not  made  his  appearance.  The  walls  are  three 
feet  thick  and  the  woodwork  as  sound  as  on  the  day 
it  was  built.  There  is  of  course  a  ghost  room,  with 
"  that  spot  on  the  floor  that  cannot  be  Mashed  out  " 
where  murder  is  said  to  have  been  done.  Below  there 
is  a  dungeon  with  massive  iron  gate,  and  the  marks  are 
still  visible  where  prisoners,  American  and  then  British, 
tried  to  cut  their  way  out  through  the  three-foot  wall 
and  arched  ceiling.*  It  is  said  there  was  an  under- 
ground passage  leading  to  the  river. 

In  the  basement  Fenimore  Cooper  laid  one  of  the 
scenes  in  his  novel  of  the  "  Water  Witch." 

The  grounds,  once  laid  out  with  parklike  lawns  and 
flower  beds,  are  now  in  the  last  stages  of  dila]Mdation. 

*  New   York   Ilrrahl.   A])ril    I."i.    I'MX). 


170 


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